The Fallen
by LiveLifeLove22
Summary: Kept a secret after her craft crashed through the Bifrost, a woman who is more than meets the eye is captured and tortured by the military. Decades later after she escaped, can she aid the Avengers in their fight against Loki? And find love along the way? Now rated M for language, violence and lemons. (02/05/2013- a/n: I will be re-writing all the chapters, so look for updates.)
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! Here's another new story for you! **

**There's gonna be romance, but it'll come later down the line. I'll change the rating then. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. Only my craziness.**

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_December 27, 1954; Government facility, location: Unknown._

My head pounded; limbs throbbed. There were noises coming from all around me. Insects crawling. The wheeling of gurneys. The beeping of a the heart monitoring system my shell of a body was hooked up to. I groaned, yearning with every ounce of my being to shut out the ambiance. To have the mundane ability to cover my sensitive ears.

My keen eyes immediately located a black fly. It's miniscule wings were like thunder to my ears as they beat the air. It's eyes were compound organs that were comprised of thousands of individual lenses. Many colors resided there; like a rainbow, but one that did not require the fall of rain.

The usual baseline of flames coursed through my blood. There was once a time when the fire did not exist. The days before the Fall.

The residual heat began to build from within. Whenever there was stress... whenever there was an anomaly that presented itself as a foreign attack... Explosions at an anatomical level would begin to surface.

I felt my heart begin to race. No. I hadn't had an Incident in over seven years... My breaths shook through my body as I tried to hold back the power running through-

With a short buzz, the fly dropped to white tiled floor. It jerked once, then it stopped moving. Immediately the sounds of the other insects stopped, recognizing the threat of a predator.

I cried out and struggled against the impenetrable Vibranium bonds that encircled my wrists and ankles. The glowing ivory flesh which was once soft and unblemished, was rubbed completely raw, until only the disturbing image of crusted blood, muscle, and in some areas bone, remained. The wounds were unable to close and scar because the restraints were so taut and unyielding.

I watched a ghostly slip of a woman pass by the clouded windowpane embedded within the door at the entrance of the room. Her starched white garb hung loosely from her frame. A nurse. They all looked the same. The nurse glanced into my room as she passed. Our eyes met. The woman's eyes widened, her mousy hair shrouded the rest of her face. Her pace quickened until she could no longer be seen. This reaction was not surprising. I was once told that I was enemy number one of the United States of America. The government made sure I'd be caged for the remainder of eternity.

No one could know.

July 1947, the aircraft I was piloting crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. The technology... was from another world. Another time. One that Midgardians had no idea even existed. Knowledge that wouldn't come to pass for hundreds of years. When a nosey local stumbled across the rubble, and me within it, I became the subject of a ridiculous controversy and ludicrous conspiracy theories. When the machinery fell from the sky decades ago, the government decided it best to hide it. What the public didn't know was the blanket being pulled over their eyes. After I was incarcerated, the government and military joined forces and began rebuilding the craft. Their interest must have peaked at the levels Gamma radiation that were emitted. It radiated levels unseen ever before by scientists of the time. But there was a man created with the same technology, to become a super soldier.

They named him Captain America.

The military took steps to make sure nothing else came along with my aircraft. That nothing leaked through the portal in the sky. That clever outcome was how they stumbled across me. Scientists deduced that if anything had come through the portal, it would radiate the same levels of Gamma as the alien technology.

I had slipped through the portal from my home planet, Lesengard. There, I was an soldier and pilot for new projects. The aircraft was their newest achievement. On the last outing of the patent, everything was going smoothly. The craft's mainframe was solid, maybe a bit slow for my reflexes. I would soon be home. I was only a soldier, taking orders from her commanding officers. Once the tests on the patent were complete, my thoughts turned to my family. My only sister, Sarah, was with child and ready to burst any moment. She hated me for leaving days before she was to give birth to her firstborn.

She shouted in my face. Spittle flew from her mouth and landed upon the drawn covers of her hospital bed. She had grasped her swollen belly with one hand, the other crushing the hand of her complacent husband. It weakened my hardened resolve to see the betrayal in her eyes. Knowing that I couldn't disobey the orders of my commanding officer. She told me- she told me if I was to not return, she wouldn't wait for me. That our parents would forget about me. I took the abuse, standing tall, with shoulders strait and hands linked behind my back. My white-blonde hair in a tight plait.

The perfect soldier.

I told her I had to go. Her last words were screamed at my back as I retreated from her hospital room. She told me that she hated me. That she always had, and always would. That her child would remember me as its betrayer.

As I piloted the prototype through the stars, I knew that once I returned to Lesengard, I would make things right. Discharge from the military and finally become the daughter and sister my family had been waiting for. I gazed longingly at a small picture of my family I had pulled up on the digital screen. We seemed so happy then. Even if I did come back; would they accept me? I was shaken from my thoughts as Base received my final report and deemed the prototype a success.

That's when I saw a strange hue of blue in the corner of my eye. It pulsed. Glowed. My heart pounded. I reported the anomaly to Base. Moments later, the entire craft went down. The lights on the dash and display blinked out as an alarm sounded through the cabin. When I attempted to run a diagnostic check, the mainframe responded that there was a system failure due to enormous spikes of Gamma radiation. My coms were cutting off and I could hear the engineers yelling for me to eject from the craft. They knew what the portal was. The Bifröst of Asgard. Stories were told in Lesengard of the great kings and Gods of Asgard. But they were only stories...

I had only seconds to spare. I glanced down at the smiling faces of my family.

_100% systems failure._

Then I was engulfed in blue light.

* * *

When I landed on Midgard for the first time, I thought I was in hell. I crawled from the wreckage to see desert all around- until I saw a small army of men pointing weapons at my head.

That was seven years ago.

For seven years I sat in my little white cell, strapped to a cot covered in rough white linens. The nurses had to restrain me after I killed the first five people who came through the door. After a massacre of over forty people, the army was called in. It took ten men to tie me down.

I came back to the present as a tiny nurse walked through the door. She was unbelievably thin. Her bones jutted out, seeming as though they were going to pierce her unnaturally pallid skin. Unlike the usual nurses, this woman seemed to have the ability to twist her mouth into something that somewhat resembled a smile. The colourless lips sometimes succeeded. Other times, there was only a grotesque sneer.

Today... there was only a sneer. I sighed, a slight twinge of disappointment filling me.

The nurse placed down a large tray lined with various tools and syringes. Then she began the usual arrangement of tests and examinations.

I slipped into a haphazard state of relaxation. I was able to play memories of my mother and father in my head to pass the time. They laughed and smiled at me. I focused on the memories from before I joined the military. They were proud of me. Of my achievements. In my mind, we had picnics in the golden fields of Lesengard. Sarah and I caught large butterflies by the glade near our house. I had created the perfect haven to escape from my own mind.

Through my state of meditation, I could vaguely feel the first needle pierce the flesh of my inner elbow. I winced. Playing memories could only get me so far...

I could almost feel the sun on my skin.

"Elle! Get the nets!" Sarah shouted over her shoulder as she raced after a group of butterflies. I opened my eyes and looked up from my bed in the golden field. The sky was a beautiful burnt orange. Not a cloud in the sky shrouded the many suns of Lesengard. I couldn't help the smile that stretched my lips. I closed my eyes, relishing the heat. I felt someone shake my shoulder roughly.

"Wake up," Sarah sighed. I frowned.

"Wake _up_." I felt a ripping pain in my arm. My eyes shot open and breath hissed through my tired lungs. Dull white filled my vision. I looked down. The nurse had yanked the last needle from my skin. A trail of blood seeped out, making the nurse sneer at me once more.

I looked past the woman. Behind her stood two men in well-tailored black suits. Both looked incredibly intimidating. Very tall and chests wide with lean muscle, I deduced both men were probably enlisted the military. Their backs were ramrod straight, hands laced behind backs. My brow furrowed and my heartbeat stuttered.

_Are they here for me?_

"Leave us." One of the men grunted. His voice held an accent I wasn't familiar with.

The nurse's head snapped around to look at the intruders.

"_Now_." The second ordered.

The nurse bobbed her head, her limp auburn hair swirled around her shoulders. It took mere moments for her to arrange her tools and depart the room. I swallowed the knot that'd begun to form in my throat.

The door clicked shut. The men's faces were shrouded by shadows.

I turned my head and squinted at one of the burnt out light bulbs on the ceiling above. Only a small flickering light warmed the second bulb's glass, threatening to dissipate. A soft glow encompassed the room. There was an abundance of shadows.

After several minutes of tense silence, the men stepped towards my bed. I turned to look over at the men. One leaned on a glossy cane. Both were in their mid forties, early fifties. They both had Western European features; strong bone structure and jaw lines, as well as wide foreheads. One was brunette, while the other had light blonde hair.

"Hello," the dark haired man with the cane stated.

I tried to respond. My throat was dry with lack of use for the past years. My mouth moved, but no sound could be heard.

"Can you understand us?" The other asked, a from deepening the creases of concern on his forehead.

I nodded in response.

"How long has it been since you've spoken?"

"Six. Years," I mouthed.

The men's faces darkened with anger.

"Then I think it's time we get you out of here. Is that alright?"

I frowned and turned my head to look back at the ceiling. Was this some sort of disturbing hallucination? A trick of the mind?

"I assure you _Fräulein_, we are here to help you."

"Just have faith," the other added

Finally, after several tense-filled moments, I looked back to the men. The look on their faces was something I had not seen for many ages.

Compassion.

I nodded, unable to erase the feelings of elation from my heart.

Maybe with their help, I could find my way back to Lesengard. Back to the golden fields and burnt orange horizans.

Maybe it was time to go home.

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**Alright so here is the first chapter I've re-written. I think it flows better with the plotline later. What do you guys think?**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has favorited/followed/ and reviewed The Fallen. It makes me continue to want to write for you guys :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**January 19, 2008; Budapest, Hungary**

I woke with a sliver of dread in my heart. I could almost feel it engulf the entirety of my soul. Lazy fingers of the bright light of winter filtered through the drawn blinds at the window. Prisms of ice refracted the rays, casting rainbows upon the walls. It seemed wrong for such delicate colours to be present on such a day. The grandfather clock chimed. I must've slept in. It was already mid afternoon.

It was the day of my second father's funeral. Both Arthur and Robert were now gone. Time had made their bodies weary and fragile. There was nothing left to do but say goodbye.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned my gaze to the intricate painted ceiling. It looked more like a ornate church tapestry than a basic bedroom. My fathers used to call me their 'fallen angel'. They hired a painter to create a piece showing how much I really meant to them. Swirling colours, columns, and a beautiful white haired angel. Golden wings were attached to the angel's back and spread wide across the ceiling. Only a soft smile ghosted over her rose coloured lips.

"Ella?" A familiar voice breeched my thoughts. My best friend Marie LeCroix's head peaked inside the room. Her beautiful tanned features were framed by a short black bob and blunt bangs. "We're almost ready... _Pourquoi_? Why are you never ready?! I swear_ chérie_, your head would fall off if I didn't remind you to take care of yourself! Go shower, and I'll go find something to wear." Her tone was that of a mother hen. Her incredibly thick French accent made me smile.

"_D'accord_," I relented, knowing from years together that my life would be much easier if I just agreed with Marie. I swung my legs out of the queen sized bed. The gold sheets slipped from around me, revealing my black sports bra and boxer shorts. I could almost hear my friend shudder at the sight of my nightwear as I made my way into the bathroom.

"I will never understand why you do not wear something more feminine to bed. Something with lace-" She grumbled. I could hear her rummage through my walk in closet. I'm sure the fashion predator wasn't pleased with her findings. I smirked and turned on the water, waiting as it warmed.

"Have you ever tried to run in lace? If I have to make a quick getaway, I want to be able to run for at least five miles in comfort. _Not_ worry about lace." We'd had this conversation many times before. Marie thought the only way I would "catch" a man would be to "flaunt" what I've "got". As much as I loved her, she was ridiculous.

I tested the temperature of the water with my hand. I shook my head as I stripped. I stepped into the grand porcelain clawfoot tub. The heated water felt amazing on my body. I massaged expensive scented oils into my skin and my body. My fingers grazed over the ugly scars at my wrists and ankles. My eyes fluttered shut as I was bombarded with images from all those years ago. I shivered. Ice water cascaded down my naked flesh.

"Ella? Are you almost finished? We really have to get going. Everyone's waiting downstairs," she ground out, plain irritation filled her tone. I must've been longer than I'd thought.

"One second," I called back. I turned off the water and jumped out of the tub. I grabbed a fluffy towel and wrapped it around me. My wet feet skidded across the tile floor.

I hastily combed my fingers through my white blond hair. It reached my belly and was already beginning to dry into its usual curl. Marie shook her head as she sat on my bed, watching me with amusement in me icy blue eyes. She past me a disturbingly lacy set of black lingerie. I grimaced, looking down at her as if I was being tortured.

"Just put them on. We don't have time to argue today."

I could tell how pleased she was with herself. I discarded the towel and yanked on the godforsaken strips of material. Glaring at her, I reached for my dog tags and Lesengardian pendent. They fell in between my breasts. Marie winked saucily and passed me a frilly black blouse, pencil skirt and my black military style wool coat. I was able to dodge the deathtrap heels, instead opting for my usual combat boots. I was able to swipe on a bit of mascara and lip gloss at the vanity before Marie literally dragged me from the room.

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My family from the Institution stood solemnly in the cemetery in Budapest. As they lowered my friend's body into the ground in the late afternoon sun, I squared my shoulders. My back was straight, fingers laced behind my back. My muscles protested, as if they could sense my grief. These men were all I had left of family; any semblance of normality.

They were my fathers and teachers. My role models and best friends. After they would push my body as far as it could possibly go, they would sit me down and force me to watch _Titanic_ or some other ridiculous romantic movie on the widescreen television in the lounge. Those were some of my favorite memories of my time on Earth.

I could hear Marie's gut wrenching sobs beside me as Robert disappeared into the ground. Her short hair shook with the movements of her body. I relaxed my body out of the military stance and reached into the pocket of my tailored wool coat. I pulled out a black silken handkerchief and handed it to her. Marie's blue eyes cleared slightly of their misty state. She sniffled and reached for the silk. She wiped her tears off her tanned cheeks.

"_Merci_ Ella," she'd mumbled. Back when I first crashed on Midgard, the government facility I had been tortured at called me Jane. For all the years I was held captive there they never asked me my name. They preferred to call the female and male prisoners Jane and John Doe. When Arthur first brought me to the institution, I met an older women who gave me the grand tour. Her name was Joan. The first thing she asked me was my name. It took me a little while to recollect the memory of my own name.

Back on Lesengard, my given name was Elle, short for Giselle. When I told that to Joan she smirked, making her fine lines deepen.

"Well we already have an Isabelle who goes by that. How 'bout Ella?" Arthur had agreed to the name. Saying that it was a pretty name for a beautiful young lady. I had blushed for the rest of the tour.

I rubbed Marie's back before moving forward. I listened to the Hungarian priest's generic final words. How Robert completed his duty by helping the children of god. That he would be accepted and welcomed by his friends and family into the kingdom of heaven. I smiled half-heartedly at this. The others wouldn't understand what the old priest said. All that mattered to them was that our old friend was as comfortable in death as he was in life.

My boots crunched in the newly fallen snow as I walked to the open grave that would be the final resting place for a good friend. The frigid winter air blew about. Taking one of the roses from the podium the priest stood behind, I threw it into the grave. The blood red hue was a startling contrast to that of the pure white snow.

The crowd parted around me as I walked away. The top of the snow was hardened from the previous evening. I had gazed at the sleet fall with tired eyes from my hotel balcony. Watching the water freeze into dense ice.

I reached a towering weeping willow masked in white ice. The crystalline filtered light from the setting sun. If only Robert were here. He would appreciate the natural beauty. The wind picked up on the hill and whistled through the graveyard. Several strands of my icy blonde hair fell out of the high bun that was tight to my head. I leaned on the tree, watching final moments of the ceremony. That's when I heard another pair of footsteps. I zeroed in on the movement.

A man in his late forties stood at the outer edge of the cemetery plot.

_Absence of hat: not a local. Didn't plan on climate. Result: ears red from the cold wind. Short, cropped brown hair: military ties, most likely a branch of the army when he was in his late twenties. Receding hairline: long nights in his current job, lots of paperwork. Not enough hair loss to be a fulltime desk job. Most likely a high-ranking field agent. Leather gloves and tailored black suit under a thick wool coat: has money. Not enough to show off, but enough to pass off as a wealthy business man. Suit: Italian in design. Classic shape, most likely Armani. Watch: Rolex. Latest model, fairly expensive. Conclusion: High-ranking field agent working for the CIA or an organization similar in nature. Earpiece easily noticed buy the see-through curled wire by his ear. A small firearm, not yet used on the market. _So not CIA_. _

This was going deeper than that. Most likely an extension of the United States government and a branch of the military. The man was most likely hired directly after his military service.

He watched the funeral, cold and calculating. I could feel goosebumps spread across the back of my neck. My breath permeated the air in white clouds. My heart began pounding.

A moment later, the agent pressed a leather-clad hand to his ear, attempting to hear an order coming from his earpiece. Suddenly, his cool grey eyes latched onto mine.

How could he see me? He was over half a mile away!

I looked up at the old church across from the cemetery. My brow wrinkled in concentration as I searched. Then I found something. Strategically positioned behind one of the church's spires, there was the small scope of a sniper pointed directly at me. I froze. It was a trap. I turned back to the field agent. I watched as he nodded almost imperceptibly at the voice on the other end of his earpiece. His eyes were obviously coming from the roof. With my increased hearing ability, I could hear him mumble slightly under his breath.

"Target acquired."

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**Pictures now on my profile :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, here's the continuation of last chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own sexy superheroes.**

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_"Target acquired."_

My heart stuttered and I immediately hid behind the tree. I breathed in the frigid air, burning my lungs on the way. I could hear light feet across the snow behind me. I quickly reached into the waistband of my black pencil skirt for my weapon-

Cool metal of a gun greeted the back of my neck. I shivered.

"Don't turn around. Hands where I can see them." The voice was clipped and female.

_Slight accent: most likely Russian. Cold tone: contract killer. Conclusion: chance of escape: 14%. Attacks will need to be executed with heightened speed and accuracy. _

I raised my hands, heaving a sigh. Closing my eyes, I focused on the movements of woman behind me. I was able to hear the woman reach for her pocket. She retrieved an item that was small and cylindrical. Just as she lunged forward, my muscles bunched. I spun on the ball of my foot, lashing out with a roundhouse kick to the woman's face. The heel of my boot caught her pale cheekbone. The force of my attack caused her body to fly across the snow. I quickly noted her dark Russian features and curled red hair. I snatched her hand. The one with the cylindrical item, which happened to be a syringe, and with intense speed stabbed it into her neck. The woman's eyes went incredibly wide in astonishment. Whether at my speed, or that she would soon be incapacitated, I wasn't sure. The Russian's body dropped to the ground. Blood seeped out of her mouth. Her body twitched once before unconsciousness settled into her muscles.

The attack took mere seconds.

Suddenly, I heard the whistling of a projectile from a far distance. I gasped, and sunk to the ground. In the crouch, I felt the sharp head of an arrow graze the top of my scalp. I swallowed my cry and gazed back. An arrow had embedded itself in the willow tree behind me. If I hadn't ducked, the arrow would've pierced my heart.

I whipped around, determining the direction of the flight path. On the roof of the church, I could distinctly see a man with a dangerous looking bow. My military training from Lesengard took over. I snatched my handgun from the waistband of my skirt and returned fire. The bullets fell in deathly proximity to the man, making him duck for cover behind one of the church's spires.

I gritted my teeth as I heard the screaming of my friends coming from the gravesite. Heart thudding, I proceeded to run to them; only to see a militia of soldiers storming the funeral. I camouflaged myself on the other side of the willow, staying out of the sniper's line of fire.

My heart froze as my friends tried to run. I watched as Marie was caught by one of the soldiers. She thrashed in his grip as he pulled out another large syringe.

I couldn't just let this happen.

Taking a sparring glance at the roof of the church, I saw that the man was gone. I took this to my advantage and raced across the snow, gun in hand. I could see the numbers of my friends dwindling as they soon grew tired and were captured by the soldiers.

Marie continued to fight against her attacker. Her wide blue eyes were filled with fear. She screamed my name.

When I was close enough, I grabbed the man's head and twisted it sharply. There was a sickening snap of the man's neck before he fell to the snow in a heap. Marie cried out. I watched her sway as if unable to hold her own weight. I caught her before she fell. That's when I noticed that a needle was sticking out of the tanned flesh of her neck; plunger pushed down. Disgusted with myself, I ripped it out of her neck. I should've been faster. Pushed myself harder to get to her. I watched as tears welled up in her eyes. Her body convulsed. I tried to hold her still. Then she was still.

I hastily kneeled to the ground and took her pulse. Nothing.

_Why would the soldiers carry poison in their injections, while the Russian who approached me only had a tranquilizer? _

They wanted me alive. The others didn't matter to them.

I gazed all around me, watching the war occur between the graves. Almost every person from the Institution had been neutralized. Some of those with agility were able to escape for several seconds-

Only to be shot down. I gasped as a small girl, younger than ten years old and had the power of flight, was shot down. I tried to find the shooter.

A man with dark skin and a black eye patch stood proud with a futuristic looking gun smoking in his hand.

I was shocked. This was a retrieval operation as much as it was a massacre.

Suddenly, it felt like there was fire in my veins. I watched as the dark man met my gaze. I could see a smirk stretch on his lips. My hands shook. These people, killed over a hundred people in cold blood, just to get to me?

I shouted, my rage bubbling over. I could feel my powers that I hadn't used in over fifty years as they struggled to be unleashed. I could see my hands steaming in the cold air. Instinctively, I smashed one of my fists into the ground. The tremendous force stuck the earth. Ripples of grass and snow knocked the soldiers off their feet. Many were immediately knocked out from the impact.

The dark man held onto a nearby tree and rode out the shockwaves. As if he was expecting it to happen. My eyes were wide.

How much did this man know about my powers?

Suddenly I felt pain in my chest. My body swayed dangerously. I wiped away blood that was now pouring from my nose. I'd never had an incident this bad before. My vision blurred as I fell to my knees. I looked down to see the long shaft of an arrow protruding from my chest. I felt cold spread through my body.

_It's a trap. _

I tried to fight unconsciousness. The rest of my body fell to the ground. I kept my eyes open for as long as possible.

The world slowed before my eyes. I watched as the archer from the roof ran to my side with the first agent and the dark man. In one hand he held his bow and with the other, he fit a quiver of arrows over his shoulder. The agent attempted to stop the blossoming red coming from my chest. My heart started beating faster out of fear; the men who killed my family were inches away from me. The faster my heart pounded, the more blood poured from me. The tacky red liquid covered the agent's hands and surrounded us as it sunk into the white snow.

Focusing the last of my strength, I lashed out, one fist pounding against the nose of Eye Patch, shattering the bone and cartilage. He grunted and fell back against the agent, blood pouring from his nose. I was able to stumble to my feet. The sniper's face was filled with awe. And... intrigue? It didn't last long. He lunged forward, catching me by surprise. I greeted his tanned cheekbone with a right hook, and kicked him in the stomach. He was shocked as he staggered away. I coughed and blood filled my hand. Black spots began to fill my vision.

"How the hell are you still alive?"

I felt a sharp sting in the side of my neck.

Then the world went black.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who's either favorited/followed/reviewed in the past couple weeks. It keeps me writing!**

**Alright, the next two chapters might be a bit slow, but it's gonna pick up real quick! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Ella and my crazy plot line**

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January 21, 2008; Location: Unknown

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I woke up in a white room. My movements were sluggish. My head was foggy and I could barely think. I attempted to deduce my location, but my brain throbbed painfully. All walls within the room were white, but padded. On one of the walls, there was a window high enough to show there was little to no chance of escape, but let enough sunlight in to promote false hope. I could tell this was some sort of hospital facility but there had to be enough security implementations to keep me contained.

_Medical wing within a military base._

I looked down to see that the arrow was gone from my chest. My entire chest had been bound tightly with white cloth and gauze. I struggled to reach up and evaluate the status of my wounds. After several minutes I slumped back in defeat. My wrists were encircled by metal handcuffs. Across my body, heavy white straps restricted all movement in my chest, abdomen and legs. My vision cleared enough for me to evaluate the details of my surroundings. There was a table beside the bed, which held a thin manila folder. It was kept shut by a small paperclip.

I smiled to myself. The paperclip would definitely come in handy later.

When I looked in the upper corner by the door, I could see the definitive outline of a security camera. It was supposed to be hidden and it was skillfully in the shadows. If I hadn't been trained to find these sorts of things, I would probably have overlooked it.

_Movements will have to be either incredibly subtle or faster than their response time._

Whoever "they" were; I wasn't sure yet.

Over several hours, I was able to stretch the straps enough to allow a small bit of movement within the material._They should've gone with metal instead._

If a security guard was posted directly outside the door, that would leave very little room for error in an escape attempt.

It would take five seconds, give or take, for the people viewing the security tape to realize something was wrong. Another ten seconds to verify and inform the guard outside the door, about three to five to get the door open. I gave myself a little bit of credit and figured it'd take them five seconds to catch me within the room itself. That only gave me approximately twenty five seconds to escape a secure facility that could be in the middle of nowhere. I sighed and stared up at the white ceiling. This was going to be a challenge.

I loosened my straps another couple centimeters, just to make sure.

Before I could put my plan into action, a beep sounded at the door before it was pulled open.

My heart clenched. I quickly concealed the extra material against my body.

Several pairs of shoes scuffed loudly across the waxed tile floor. I didn't bother to pretend to fall asleep, rather siding with gathering more information for my imminent escape.

The first man who walked into the padded room was Eye Patch. He was dressed the same as he was the day of the funeral; dark zip top underneath a black leather jacket and matching eye patch. The jacket swept the floor as he walked. It was very obvious that he was the leader of the funeral mission. His dark eyes glared directly at me as he stood by the table with the file.

He was followed by the older agent I had first seen at the funeral. This time, his suit was swapped for a generic navy instead of the rich Italian black. His tie had also changed. Instead of a solid royal blue, he wore a thick black tie against a starched white shirt. I met the agent's calculating grey eyes. I easily won the stare. He looked away and approached his superior.

The last to arrive was the sniper from the rooftop. Clad in a clinging black t-shirt and dark slacks, the man looked completely out of place when compared to his companions.

A foreign sensation travelled through my body at the sight of his bare arms.

Thick, toned muscles were presented under prominent veins that pulsed when he crossed his arms. Broad shoulders and narrow hips were incredibly toned, making me swallow. A heat had begun to form in my belly. I repressed the shudder and blush that almost became necessary when the man approached. I quickly adverted my gaze when cool blue eyes turned to me. Hopefully the man didn't realize what was happening within my body.

Oh gods, _I_ didn't even know what was happening to me! This was the man who shot me! I shouldn't be lusting after him-

I stared at the expanse of white ceiling until I heard the definitive voice of a man speak.

"If you need me gentlemen, I'll be right outside." Ah. So there _was_ a soldier posted at my door. I would have to revise my escape plan. I continued to stare at the ceiling.

The heavy metal door was slammed shut and locked.

I breathed deeply and refused to jump as harsh noise of metal chairs being dragged across the tile and pulled to the table.

I distinctly heard the file being opened. A pen clicked. The men breathed noisily.

"Let's begin. State your full name and age for the record."

It was the receding hairline man who broke the silence. I noted his skillfully demanding tone.

It wasn't a question.

My only reaction for him was a blink of my eyes. These were the _children_ who killed my family. I was born thousands of years before they were even ideas. They would not receive my respect.

"Indiquez votre nom complet et l'âge de l'enregistrement."

And off he went. I listened as he spoke in a ridiculous amount of languages. From Russian to Arabic, he attempted to find a language that I would understand. Or respond to.

The agent asked me if I had family. If I had been in a car accident before. When I arrived in Hungary. Why I was at the cemetery.

I yearned to massage my aching temples.

Over the course of several hours, the assassin and agent took turns questioning me in the assortment of languages. I realized what they were trying to do.

These men were trying to break me.

As their interrogations stretched into the night- I could tell the time by the midnight shade coming though the small window- my headache morphed into a painful migraine. Their voices melted into one another and lilted through the expanse of the small room. The artificial lights pulsed. I tried to find a breathing pattern that kept the pain at bay.

I was trained in hostile interrogation when I joined the army on Lesengard. I was trained not to answer. To never show fear or pain. Never surrender.

I found a comfortable placement against my bonds.

When the sun came up for the second time during the questioning, I could tell my silence was wearing on my captors. My headache had kindly departed and I felt good; except for being held captive. I had to keep my smirk at bay as the two interrogators hissed questions through their gritted teeth. _I_ was breaking them more then they could me.

I continued my silence.

After the fifth day, the two men took shifts. While the sniper asked me questions, the older man would sleep or go eat something. The third... the dark man remained silent. I could continuously feel his cold stare on me. That was the thing that got to me the most. I could sense his eyes. There was no way to ignore them.

No way to escape.

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**Sorry about all that. I hope I didn't bore you guys too much. Next chapter will be much better, don't worry! xD**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving if you're in Canada, or just a great weekend everywhere else :P**

**Here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Only own Ella and epic scenes like this one.**

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On the tenth day, there was a different feeling to the room. There was a tension in the air that made me uncomfortable. I knew what was about to occur.

The night before, all three men had left the small room. Even though the door shut behind them, I could distinctly hear their conversation.

"Is Natasha awake?"

"Yes Agent Barton, _Agent Romanoff_'s been conscious for the past couple days, " the older man said.

"It's time Agent Coulson." The leader spoke with a cool clarity.

I had expected this "Romanoff" to arrive in the middle of the night and slit my throat unceremoniously. I thought of implementing my plot for escape, but Eye Patch had taken the folder, and paperclip, with him when he retreated the night before.

When no one approached the room, I became nervous. Several tedious hours passed. When the first light of dawn glowed through the window, I finally heard someone. The distinct click that could only be that of towering stilettos. It broke through the silence. The entrance code was punched into the door and then it opened. Out of curiosity, I looked to the entrance. Holy-

It was the redhead woman I took down at the funeral. Her dark European features contrasted to her pale complexion. The woman wore a dark pantsuit and her curled hair bounced as she strutted into my cage. She had a large coffee in one hand and the file under her arm. The only thing that seemed amiss about her was a very noticeable bruise on her cheekbone. I gave her points for trying to cover it with concealer... A for effort... F for execution. I failed at hiding my cheeky smirk inside.

She took a seat at the foot of my metal cot. The woman smiled tightly, as if she never really used the muscles, at me as she sipped her coffee. Even though I didn't require sustenance to survive, I missed the taste. My stomach growled loudly as the scent of the coffee and pastries permeated the stale air. "Romanoff" chuckled. She threw her head back as she laughed. When she had calmed, the agent grinned, but there was something dark to it. I blinked.

"You know, if you want me to get you something, all you have to do is tell me your name."

I almost rolled my eyes. I returned my gaze to the ceiling.

After another couple hours of the "nice" routine, Agent Romanoff discarded her smile and opted for something that seemed much more natural. One of the coldest stares I'd ever seen.

"If you continue this silent act, I will find other ways of making you talk."

I swallowed my heart which fluttered up in my throat. Memories from the years of torture had weakened my mental and physical defences.

The redhead got up from the bed and meandered to the door; empty coffee cup in hand. She pounded the door twice. It opened. Romanoff turned to me before leaving. Her hazel eyes were cold.

"I'm going to get my tools, then we'll begin. See, I wanted to start this way from the beginning. Some of my _associates_ thought being soft would get what we need. Obviously they were wrong."

As soon as she left, I looked down. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

That's when I saw it.

The folder laid on my knees.

And my gorgeouspaperclip!

The gods were definitely smiling on me.

I waited fifteen seconds. I looked up at the camera, grinning. I probably looked insane.

A chuckled bubbled from my lips. _Whoever's watching this tape must think I've finally cracked._

Another five seconds...

I sprung into action.

Kicking my knees up, the folder flipped into the air. I strained against my handcuffs, beads of blood welling up where the metal bit in. My scars were opened. The folder flew into the grasp of my left hand.

Start the clock.

00:00.25

00:00.24

I pulled the paperclip off the manila folder. I warped it quickly in my hand and immediately slid it into the keyhole on my left handcuff. I had to twist my wrist awkwardly to reach the metal cuff.

00:00.21

The lock clicked. Left hand free. _Move faster_. Onto the right hand.

00:00.17

Done. _Rip the restraints off._ _Move!_

00:00.13

_Tear the table from where it's bolted to the ground._

Cement and tile began flying.

My hands were bloody.

That's when I could hear yelling from outside the door. I could distinctly hear the voice of Agent Romanoff and Barton.

"Open the fucking door!_ Jesus_, she's _escaping_!"

Fists were pounding on the door as the guard fumbled with his ring of keys after punching the code in.

_It doesn't matter! Go!_

00:00.08

Use the table to reach the window. _They're coming._

I ran at the table and jumped. I launched myself at the window. I protected my head with my arms.

Streamlined my body.

The door burst open.

00:00.00

I smashed through the window.

00:00.00

_Time's up._

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**D'oh shiiit! She did it! It's gonna get crazy in the next chapter!**

**Let me know what you'd like to happen with the story. Plot and suggestions are greatly appreciated. **

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	6. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Hope you're having a fantastic day. Here's my responses to your reviews so far.**

**babygurl1944: Thanks!**

**Cara Tala: Ahaha I'm glad you like it so much! That's kinda what I had in mind, but more time and awesomness in between. Thanks for the great review!**

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**ACHound-Turhu: Gosh I freaking loved your review and all your awesome comments! Thanks so much! Sorry about the short chapters! I was gonna mash the last two together, but I liked the way they stood on their own, you know? Ahaha it's definitely gonna be intense in this chapter. Hahaha Ella is most certainly a badass! Shit's gonna hit the fan! About the massacre of the women and children at the funeral, that whole plot is going to be covered in the next few chapters, no worries! You're gonna have to wait and see if Ella's in the Initiative; I have to keep some secrets! xD**

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**Disclaimer: I only own Ella. And awsomeness..**

* * *

The next moments felt like a dream. The world slowed around me until a short moment stretched into what felt like hours; pausing. I was suspended in infinite space. Then, as if time caught up, I was flying through the air.

I heard bullets ricochet off the table and walls.

Glass from the window shattered all around me. The pieces made abstract mosaics in the air. I could feel sections of glass embed themselves in my forearms. I hissed as they drove deep into the skin, hiding near the bone.

Breaking the streamline position, my hands grasped the window frame. I swung my body into the bright light of morning. My biceps strained under the impossible task of halting my momentum. Bare feet begged for purchase as I hung onto the ledge for dear life. Idiotically, I looked down. My heart pounded. I flattened my body against the nondescript building behind me.

My heart pounded.

I was perched on a ledge at least fifty stories off the ground. The shards from the broken window fell to the street. As if taunting that that could have been me. Far below there were streams of traffic and people moving about. The cacophony of honking and voices assaulted my sensitive ears. _New York. _The sun peaked over the jungle of buildings to create the memorable skyline.

I sighed. My breath condensed into white clouds in the winter chill. The skin on my bare feet and arms was shocked by the drastic change in temperature. I was clothed in only a pair of thin sweatpants and the bandage around my bust. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to retain body heat.

_That was too close_. Good thing my reflexes were fast.

Suddenly, pain blossomed in my hip. I looked down. Brilliant scarlet poured from my left side. I cried out. I applied pressure to the flesh wound with my hands. One of the bullets must have grazed my side when I made my hasty escape.

_Not fast enough_.

From my perch on the slender ledge, I could hear furious voices from within the room.

"-are you _serious_? How is this my fault!?" That sounded like Agent Barton.

"How is it _not_? You were sleeping during Romanoff's interrogation! I thought you were supposed to be _partners_?!" That was Coulson. I chuckled at their banter.

"I'd been awake for over seventy two hours! Nat said she could handle a little girl!"

My soft laughter ceased. 'Little'? They thought I was _little_?!

_Well this little girl just escaped custody_.

I snorted through a loud laugh.

"Well that _little girl_ just shit on my operation! So if you _toddlers_ are done, mommy's gonna get the fugitive back! I need men at the windows! NOW." That was the Director speaking. His thundering authority pierced through the temperamental squabbling of his agents.

I heard his boots squeal as he turned and bolted to the next room. The other agents followed him.

To the next window_._

Oh crap.

_Move now_.

Shuffling across the ledge, one step at a time, I made it to the next window. My heart stuttered when I saw Eye Patch bolt into the room.

I darted under the window. Just as I passed, one of his long arms attempted to snatch my back.

_Move faster._

I was now sprinting across the thin ledge. Each window I ducked under, grasping hands were getting closer.

I ran to the opposite side of the building.

I rested in the space between two windows. I pressed the cool stone to my bandaged back. Looking around, I tried to formulate another escape. That's when I saw it.

A man in his mid-fifties was washing windows of the office building across the wide synapse. He stood in a blue cage which he raised and lowered with a mechanical system. He whistled cheerfully as he manipulated a large squeegee.

I looked between the ledge and the expanse.

_That's a seven meter jump._

_Probability of failure: 99.3% _

Great. I swallowed in breath of cool air. Eyes focused. Muscles bunched.

Jump on three.

..1...

...2...

..

"Stop!"

My head whipped around.

_What?_

Agent Barton. His sculpted features peeked out the small window I had passed seconds ago. I watched as he somehow slid his broad shoulders through the window. Soon, he was standing in front of me. Many emotions crossed his face. Anger, disbelief-

Was that... concern?

I shook the thought from my head. Tendrils of my waist length, white blonde hair, swirled in the winter air.

"No? Then just wait. Can you please talk to me?" The low tone lulled me into a false sense of calm.

My body shuddered. I backed away, matching every step he took forward. Finally, he stopped. I was grateful because I was now lined up perfectly for my escape route. The agent reached a hand out to me; his palm facing upwards, a silent offering.

"Come back inside with me. We can get you something to eat. I can bandage that wound for you. Please-"

"Why did you have to kill them?" I cut him off. My normally lilting voice scratched through my dry throat. I winced slightly.

His head snapped up at the first sound of my voice. His wide, blue-eyed stare met my bright grey. Barton heaved a sigh, breath turning white on the air. I watched as he dropped his hand back to his side. He scowled.

"We had no choice."

One of my eyebrows arched questioningly. My chuckle was void of humor.

"You had no choice?! Those people were my _family_! Just because they were different-"

The agent's eyes clouded in confusion and outrage.

"We didn't kill them because they were special. Arthur Farkas and Robert Müller were scientists, trying to replicate the Super Soldier Serum that Professor Abraham Erskine created in the second world war. Over sixty years, they'd used homeless people around the word as test subjects on their disturbing mission. In that time, something went wrong. Hundreds of test subjects started mutating. The test subjects would live normally through the day, but change into terrible creatures and hunt on civilians during the night. Didn't you wonder where they went at night? Did you even know? It's about you!"

My head spun with the information. No. Robert and Arthur were good people. They were helping those people. I knew the individuals who were taken in to their home were homeless... but they were being kind... Sure they spent a lot of time in their lab in the basement of the Institute. But they weren't evil!

"How is this about me, now?" I whispered through my thoughts. My voice was back to its liquid silver texture now that my vocal cords were warmed up.

"Don't you see? Everything's about you! When S.H.I.E.L.D. realized the connection between the Roswell craft and yourself, Farkas and Müller had already collected you. They used the same technology S.H.I.E.L.D. did all those years ago. The men were able to locate you by the high levels of gamma radiation that clung to you after the craft fell. When Müller passed away, we were able to invade the Institute. That's when we were able to piece together what they were doing." His voice trailed off, letting me piece together the rest.

"This is insane. You don't have any proof! These were just men!" My voice was clear and powerful and reflected perfectly the anger I was feeling.

_Are you upset that he's trying to stall you, or cause what he's saying makes sense?_

"I don't need to show you proof. It's all in front of you already. You just won't let yourself see it." His voice was liquid soft and wrapped around me like a blanket.

His inquisitive tone tugged at suppressed memories from long ago.

_Hours of testing. _

_Blood being drawn from my veins as Arthur, Richard and I watched Titanic together. _

_Being pushed until I couldn't run anymore. _

_My powers tested until I had tears of blood sliding down my face._

I cried out and grabbed my head.

"They were _using _you! Müller and Farkas tried to directly inject your blood into others. They knew of your power and tried to mass produce it. Tried to market it. I'm so sorry, but you can stop this now. You can put your talents towards helping the world. There is so much we can learn from you!" His sincerity turned into awe.

I glared daggers at him. So that was what this was really about.

"Just so you can use me too?! I'm tired of being a test subject!"

My muscles bunched as I launched myself into the air. I heard Agent Barton's cries. I angled my body to line up with the window cleaner's machine.

For a split second, I thought that I might not make the jump.

When my outstretched arms collided with the blue metal cage, I heard the elderly man cry out in surprise.

"Jesus!"

I grinned in triumph as I climbed into the cage and slipped through one of the building's open windows. I turned around to face the worker, inadvertently seeing the shocked face of Agent Barton, still perched across the way.

"Not Jesus. Just Ella. But thanks for the compliment."

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**Hahaha yeah! I had sooo much fun writing the dialogue for this bad boy! **

**Hope this chapter solved some confusion for you guys.**

**Review! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Guest: Thanks a bunch! Here's an update!**

**annsweeney544: Thank you! I'm trying to write the character's personalities the way they would actually act, so it's not too farfetched, ya know? **

**jesse: Thanks so much! **

**Guest: Holy man, I don't know how the hell Ella jumped that, but when I finished writing last chapter I totally fist-bumped myself.**

** : Hahaha that was my favorite line too! The dialogue is so much fun to write for this story. Aww thanks so much! Nice review btw.**

**Cara Tala: Ahh nice soundtrack. I was listening to the ****_Inception_**** soundtrack while I was writing. I totally understand what you mean! It adds a little excitement and bumps up the intensity. Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! Your review made me smile!**

**watergoddesskasey: Thank you xD**

**Dalonega Noquisi: Thanks! I know, I felt bad for Ella when I was writing it, but it had to happen. **

**ACHound-Turhu: Hahaha the epicness was a little overwhelming, hey? Yes she was the Roswell landing ;P I'm glad you like where that went. I know it wasn't too surprising about the Super Soldier Serum, but it ties directly into the plotline with the Gamma radiation. Ahahaha Ella is most certainly a ninja out to kick ass and take names. Thanks for noticing the Hawkeye dialogue and portrayal. I did a lot of research and watched the movie again to make sure the tone was right. Ahaha yeah.. as you can probably tell, I'm not the biggest Natasha fan... she's gonna have to behave if she wants to be in the story;)Thanks again for another awesome review! **

**Thank you so much to everyone who fav/follow/reviewed my story. You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: Only own Ella... but she's kinda badass so that's okay.. ;)**

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February 1, 2008; Location: New York City, S.H.I.E.L.D base

* * *

The conference room was silent.

The only noise within the room was the clock on the wall. And that- after half an hour of the second hand ticking, was much worse than complete silence.

Around the glass tables, agents sat in straight-backed chairs, knowing what was about to occur.

Fury's wrath.

Agent Barton's head was buried in his hands. After three days without sleep- except for the twenty minutes during Nat's interrogation- he was ready to pass out. Just as his lids closed over blood-shot eyes, a loud bang reverberated across the glass conference table. The agent's head shot up and a pathetic groan left his parted lips.

The other agents jumped simultaneously when the Director slammed the file down on the glass.

It was a miracle he didn't shatter it.

"Would somebody please share what the _hell_ just happened?" The Director's voice was deathly quiet.

Fury was, well, furious.

One of the new agents, Brenner, raised his hand arrogantly. His dirty blonde hair was drenched in gel and slicked back. Clint watched as the kid winked at a female agent across the table. She flushed and hid her kind face behind the field report.

Fury pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger and nodded stiffly.

"We got our asses kicked, Sir?" Brenner cleared his throat loudly, waiting for approval.

_Goddamn teacher's pet_, Barton thought, rolling his eyes. He smirked behind his hands as he glanced over at Natasha who sat several chairs over. Eyes were definitely rolling.

The Director's patience was finally cracking.

"Yes we did, didn't we? You'd have to be a _genius_ to figure that one out! We got our asses kicked by a little _girl_. Maybe I should just fire all of you _idiots_ after this little performance today and start recruiting the best and brightest straight out of middle school! JESUS people! I feel like I'm babysitting you guys! DO I LOOK LIKE A GODDAMNED BABYSITTER?!"

Fury's roar had some of the newer agents trembling.

The Director turned his back on the agents.

Brenner raised his hand more cautiously this time.

_You've got to be kidding me._ Clint folded his arms on the table and tucked his head inside. _Too tired for this bullshit._

This was getting brutal.

"You better put down that fucking hand before I break it," Fury bit out quietly, back still turned as he gazed out the large window that covered the entire wall of the conference room.

The kid looked deflated. Clint noticed the agent subtly hide the offending hand under the table.

Fury turned around and took a seat beside Coulson and Agent Maria Hill. He took the file and opened it dramatically. It was empty.

"We didn't get one thing on her? One THING?!" It was starting again. Agents around the table muttered amongst themselves. Several were smirking in the direction of Agent Romanoff. The red head glared daggers back and tension began to rise in the room.

Clint lifted his head from its hiding spot and cleared his throat.

"Her name is Ella."

_I just want to sleep_.

The room quieted.

Fury looked up from the empty manila folder. "Thanks for joining us. Care to repeat that, Agent Barton?"

"The girl's name is Ella, _Sir_. That's what she told the man who was washing the windows. His name was Odis by the way. And he has a dog named Sir Reginald the third. I tried to interview him, but it never really panned out."

"Shut the hell up and don't even _try _ to be smart with me, Barton. I need something to go on here!"

Coulson spoke up from his place beside the Director.

"We already interviewed the maintenance man and everyone else in the insurance building. We took names, ages, job positions, everything. The girl's a ghost. For some reason, she wasn't caught on their security cameras, so we don't even know where to start looking."

"That girl was somehow able to escape S.H.I.E.L.D. custody through a window about the size of my ass, run across a window ledge, evading capture and ultimately leaping to the next building which happens to be a Federal bank. She's good, I'll give her that." Natasha seemed incredibly bitter in her admittance.

Barton looked down at his clasped hands. "Who says we have to take her down? She wasn't part of the experiments-"

"The hell she wasn't! They used her blood to transform all those people! If it wasn't for her, all those people would still be alive!" Brenner shouted from across the table.

Cue the chorus of eye rolling.

"She didn't know about the experiments. Somehow, she had repressed the memories over many decades. Because it didn't really matter what they did to her. As long as Ella was away from that hospital, it didn't matter where she stayed. They were her family, and we killed them." Barton's head was pounding as relayed the information.

"We didn't have a choice, you know that, Clint," Natasha spoke softly.

"I know. I'm just telling you that we need to leave this poor girl alone! Wherever she came from; however long she's lived for, all she's known of Earth is pain and captivity. Let her live the life she wants. And don't be so fucking naive Brenner."

Barton was amazed when Fury nodded.

"Alright, fine. We let her go. But if I get a whiff that she's causing trouble out there, I'm bringing her in."

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**A/N 09/05/2013: Hello everyone! I want to thank each and every one of you guys for being so kind with your reviews. Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited as well. It reminds me that people do actually read this story xP Merci beaucoup mes amis. Je t'aime! Also, I've linked several pictures on my profile if you want to see my inspiration and thoughts. Thanks again!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Here's another chapter. I know these are coming a bit slower than usual, but they should be coming more regularly now. **

**Just to clear up the confusion, this is a Hawkeye/Oc fanfic. Not Thor/Hawkeye. Lol.**

**Thanks for all the sweet reviews. You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: I only own ninjas like Ella :D**

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January 31, 2008; Location: Outside S.H.I.E.L.D base

* * *

_For a split second, I thought that I might not make the jump._

_When my outstretched arms collided with the blue metal cage, I heard the elderly man cry out in surprise._

_"Jesus!"_

_I grinned in triumph as I climbed into the cage and slipped through one of the building's open windows. I turned around to face the worker, inadvertently seeing the shocked face of Agent Barton, still perched across the way._

_"Not Jesus. Just Ella. But thanks for the compliment."_

The grin on my face could not be diminished as I turned to face my new surroundings. I had entered a window in the middle of an empty hallway. I could hear yelling from the building I had just come from. Agents were arguing who was going to jump after me, and who would infiltrate the building from ground level.

I distinctly heard Agent Barton volunteer himself for the jump as well as another man named Brenner. Before they jumped, I dashed across the hall, looking for a hiding spot or escape route.

Stairs: 98% chance of failure. Capture by Infiltration team.

Elevator: 99.3% chance of failure. Surveillance cameras. Systems will be shut down by Infiltration team.

My eyes scanned every possible line of escape. That's when I heard Barton launch himself at the building. My ears burned as explicit curses flew from his mouth.

I bolted to the first door on the right. It was a small unlocked room where I could plan before he could find me.

I locked the door from the inside. My brain was whirling. That's when I realized where I was.

A janitor's closet.

Rifling through the various items, I was able to locate a dirt encrusted uniform and other clothing items. Slipping the uniform on over my bandages, I noticed it's laughable size against my tiny body. I found a belt with various tools hanging off it. I was able to synch the uniform with the belt so it didn't fall off my slight curves. Kneeling down, I ripped some material off the end of the pant legs and used it to tie back my oily hair. I was able to slick back my white blond hair into a tight ponytail. I then stuffed the grimy pant legs into a pair of huge hiking boots. Lastly, I was able to find a cap to hide my hair and a pair of aviators to conceal my light grey eyes.

If this works, I've got to be a genius.

Taking a breath, I turned the cold metal knob of the door.

I opened the door only a crack; to get a visual on the location of the agents. There was a pronounced lack of movement through the entire hall. I slipped out of the closet.

I jogged down the hallway and approached the stairwell-

"Hey you!" I froze. I definitely recognized that voice. Running would make this worse. I turned as naturally as possible. I plastered a content smile on my face.

"Bonjour monsieur. Désolé, je ne parle pas l'anglais. J'ai fini maintenant avec les toilettes dans la salle de bain." (Hello sir. Sorry, I don't speak English. I'm finished with the toilets in the bathroom now.)

Agent Barton looked at me for a moment, his gorgeous blue eyes narrowed. His head tilted to the side.

Wait- Gorgeous?!

Those eyes widened slightly.

"Hey!"

Merde.

I whipped back around and lunged for the stairwell. I slammed open the heavy door.

My mind switched into survival.

I had to survive.

"Please stop!"

Not a chance.

"Jesus Christ, Lady!"

His outburst reverberated in the closed staircase as we flew down the many floors.

Floor 15...14...13...12..

I was now settling for jumping down full sets of stairs. My side burned from where I'd been shot just minutes before.

"You're fucking insane!" Barton hissed. How the hell did he sound so close?

Ground Floor

The next thing I knew, an unstoppable force barrelled into my back. I was able to twist my body enough to latch onto the railing and slide to a painful stop at the bottom of the stairs. I stumbled as Agent Barton pinned me to the cold stone wall. My head collided painfully as the Agent ceased my movements. He wrenched my hands tightly behind my back, holding both of them in one of his. Rough calluses encircled soft wrists. I gulped involuntarily as a foreign feeling swept over my body. My heart pounded. Breathing was shallow.

This wasn't from running, I realized.

"How could you run that fast?" I hissed. Gods above, this man's body was perfection. I could feel his chiselled abdominal muscles as he pinned me. The heat of his boy compared to the frigid brick made me shiver.

"Ah, _now_ she talks. How could _you_ run that fast, hmm?" His gruff tone was slightly amused; tones of sarcasm laced throughout.

I smirked, unaware to him because my face was squished against the wall. "I was on track in high school?"

Barton turned me sharply, now restraining me from the front by placing large hands on either side of my head. I watched as he leaned into me until our foreheads were almost touching.

Oh gods, couldn't he just turn his head to the side and fit those perfect, full lips-

"I'm tired, I'm hungry and I'm sick of chasing down a little girl who has attitude problems. Don't take me as a fool, _Princess_, cause you won't win against me."

Princess? _Really_?

I edged closer until I could feel his hot breath against my lips.

"If I'm such a_ little girl_, why am I always kicking your ass?"

"Maybe I was going easy on you."

"You shot me with an arrow!"

"You almost killed my partner!"

"She had a _needle_."

"It was a mission!"

"You killed my family!"

"They were monsters. I told you that!"

Pause. "Shut up, Barton."

He grinned triumphantly.

"See? You know I'm right."

I glared venomously. My mind was racing.

Chance of escape 43%.

Door to the left.

High likelihood of being apprehended directly outside.

Incapacitate Barton.

Movements will have to be unexpected.

"Well you better work on your fighting, old man. Words won't win every battle against me." I looked down at his lips before gazing at him through my full lashes. This man was too tempting. Maybe this could work-

His icy blue eyes darkened till they were almost sapphires. His pupils dilated. He leaned forward, muscular forearms now becoming a barrier around my head.

"And what battle would that be?" One of his hands gripped the back of my neck.

Suddenly, I cracked my head into his skull. The agent stumbled away just enough for me to land a kick to his diaphragm. While he struggled for breath, I placed him in a headlock. He elbowed me painfully in my bullet wound. I ducked as his fist flew for my cheekbone. I spun my leg under his feet. Barton crashed to the ground. I lunged forward, latching onto his neck. He tried to throw me off as I straddled him. Trying to overpower him with sheer force. He punched my fully extended elbow. I cried as I heard a sickening crack. He rolled on top of me, wrenching my wrists above me.

"Holy...SHIT. Calm down!"

I wouldn't be put in a cell again. Not again.

I kicked him in the family jewels. He groaned and rolled off of me.

I dashed to the door, exit sign glowing bright red above. Opening it immediately, I noticed the ground floor was much busier than the higher levels of the tower. There were hundreds of people milling through the lobby. Businessmen and ladies stalked purposefully with their shiny leather briefcases and polished shoes. I slipped into the crowd. I snatched the wallet out of a younger man's pant pocket as I walked past. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back in a way that made my stomach churn.

He never noticed a thing. Snatching the cash, I threw out the designer leather wallet in a garbage can. I never stopped moving. I ducked my head, pulling my cap over my eyes, when I noticed the man turn around and jog in front of me. He moved to the entrance and began conversing with-

Fury.

My heartbeat thundered in my chest.

"I don't know what to say, Sir. Barton hasn't checked in yet. Oh hey sexy-"

A roaring blush covered my high cheekbones as his eyes followed my form as I walked right past the two men.

"Keep it in your pants, Brenner," Fury stated dryly.

I walked through the revolving doors and into the frigid winter air.

I spared a glance through the glass only to see an enraged and very red-faced Agent Barton limping through the lobby.

I smirked. I hailed a taxi with an ear-piercing whistle. Three screeched to a halt. I slipped in the closest one.

"The airport, please. Get there in under half an hour, I'll give you a hundred bucks." I said, grin spread wide across my face.

As the taxi pulled away from the curb, I looked back to the building.

Agent Barton stood outside in the cold, following the taxi with his ice blue eyes.

* * *

**That was awesome to write. Now you know why poor Hawkeye is super tired. Hope you like the banter and the little bit of sexual tension. xD**

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	9. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great day. Here's another chapter for you guys! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Ella. **

* * *

Present Day; Location: Kolkata, India

* * *

I stared blankly up at the ceiling above my cot. Beads of salty perspiration descended down my temples. A loud alarm sounded close to my head. I turned to see the digits _5:30_ _am_ glowing red in the early morning darkness.

I turned off the alarm and swung my legs off the bed. Sighing, I padded to the small washroom connected to the room. I turned on the light.

The cheap incandescent bulb above the cracked mirror flickered dangerously.

I sighed and washed my face in the bowl of water I had collected the night before from the local well. I stripped off my baggy night shirt and grabbed the small washcloth that laid on the counter. I dipped the cloth into the small bowl and began to wring out the excess water. I dragged the rough cloth across my flushed body, attempting to wash away nightmares that had tormented me while I slept.

I glanced at the cracked mirror. It had been over four years since I had fled from Director Fury and his agents, yet I still looked exactly the same. I would be turning two thousand six hundred and eighty-nine in a couple months.

The elders of Lesengard lived until they was several million years old before they passed away from old age. That was the curse of my people. Time moved slowly. We watched the creation of the galaxies and solar systems. We gazed across the stars. Even though we age slowly, the only way we can die is from time itself. It is a lonely life.

When I was on Lesengard, I was practically a child. Even though I appeared to be less than twenty years old.

The wounds I had from my interactions with Agent Barton scarred over and healed in several days. I felt the pain, but could never be killed. Until my allotted time ran out.

My white-blonde hair was pulled away from my angular face and into a messy bun on top of my head. Despite my light hair, my eyebrows and lashes were significantly darker and my skin had tanned to a sandy bronze from the hot Kolkata sun. I tucked my bangs behind my slightly pointed ears and finished washing my face.

I sighed. Picking up my sleep shirt, I walked back to my bedroom. I opened the small set of drawers that held the few outfits I owned. I slipped on a pair of cream hued undergarments, a pair of loose tan slacks and a light shirt that had a plunging scooped neckline. I had little to show off, but the heat of the sun at midday changed my mind quickly the first days I spent in India. I slipped my feet into a pair of cork sandals, and locked my apartment door before merging into the bustling morning traffic.

I walked through the market. I bought a large apple on my way and thanked the elderly shopkeeper kindly by paying the woman four times the needed amount. She stared wide eyed at the coins then hurriedly attempted to some back. I had already melted into the busy crowd.

Several minutes later, I walked up to my store. I laughed as I had to weave my way through the large line-up that wound around the corner. Finally, I managed to open the building with my rusted key. Walking in, I grabbed my white apron from its hook on the wall and started right away on making the first batch of dough for the day.

When I first arrived in India, after a stressful flight and battle through security, I met the old man who owned the Bakery. His business was failing since he was no longer able to knead the dough because of his gnarled fingers. That's when I asked if I could help him. Just to see the light come back to his kind brown eyes made my heart soar. So that ninety-three year old man taught me his grandmother's secret recipe. I would make the dough, he would supervise. When he passed away a year later, he left everything to me. Including his apartment and bakery.

While I still made the traditional breads he taught me, I also had a few recipes of my own. On Lesengard, my mother would make hot spiced bread and drizzle sweet nectar over top. I amended her recipe and made cinnamon loaf with a caramel topping.

That's when the bakery became really popular.

People would wait hours until I opened the shop at 6:00 am, just be the first in line to buy a slice of fresh cinnamon loaf.

I served the crowd until they were gone. It was now late afternoon.

I had sent my baker's assistant Elise home. When I found her on the street beside my bakery, disheveled and barely clothed, I took her in and cared for her. Her eyes were wide with childlike innocence as she watched me bake. Eventually I taught her everything I knew.

The late afternoon sun was hot and uncomfortable. But inside the bakery was comfortable and cool. I had installed an air conditioner and the locals adored it.

Now there was only a few children, noses pressed against the glass pane of the shop as I laid new rolls and loaves in the display. I smiled as I turned back to the kitchen, starting on a new batch of dough. I had my back turned when I heard the bell over the door chime as a customer walked in. I cracked the last egg into the batter and threw the shell into the compost bin under my station.

"I'll be right with you!" I called. I started to beat the ingredients into a smooth dough. Wiping my hands on my apron, I turned to the new customer. I smiled widely at the kind face of the quiet doctor. He smiled back in return.

"Bruce! How's my favourite customer today?" I pondered. I watched as his brow furrowed.

"Your patient?"

Bruce sighed and shook his head, looking defeated.

"Oh, Bruce , I'm so sorry..."

"His cancer was too advanced for me to do anything. I just told his wife. She blames me for what happened to him. I'm just tired of not being able to save them, you know? The technology here isn't advanced enough for the needs of the people-" Bruce started his rant again. It was the same argument he always made, upset that he couldn't save everyone.

I grabbed his tanned hands and pulled him to a stool facing the kitchen.

"Sit." I pointed a finger at him and watched as Bruce flushed.

"Yes ma'am," he sighed as he slumped into the chair.

I walked to the door and flipped the sign on the door to "Closed" before I locked the door, much to the disappointment of the children outside.

I skipped back over to Bruce and kissed his stubble-covered jaw. He blushed. I walked back around to my baking station and stirred the dough once more.

"Alright Doctor, I'm making a batch of sugar cookies, just for you. And how about I put on some tea?"

I watched as he smiled. It lit up his face, eliminating years of stress from the fine lines around his warm eyes.

"Tea would be fantastic."

I grinned back.

"Of course, Bruce. Then we can talk about your day." I rose on my tip toes to kiss his cheek once more when he made a sound of protest.

"Ella! No more kisses. Honesty. Did the doctor never tell you it's a bad thing to spread your _cooties_ around?" His normally shy, quiet voice was now verging on annoyance but filled to the brim with amusement.

"I do _not_ have cooties! That's a myth told by immature boys and girls before they are ready to procreate with the opposite sex."

He groaned and scrubbed the "cooties" from his face with the back of his hand. He adjusted his wire framed glasses.

"Fine. Someone's being cheeky this afternoon-"

I rolled my eyes as I floured my worktop and began rolling out the cookie dough.

"Go put some tea on, Banner. And go get the cookie cutters."

"-and demanding," he finished quietly. Obviously hoping I wouldn't hear him.

"Oi! You want cookies or not?" I dipped my fingers in the sink, which was full of soapy water, and flicked them at Bruce's back. Dark stain marks settled into his dark blazer. He froze.

Oh crap.

Bruce spun around and launched himself at me, or more specifically, my sides.

He tickled my sides until I squealed. I raised my hands up in surrender, but he tickled my exposed armpits. My eyes watered with my continuous laughter as I tried to get away from the attack.

"S-stop! Please! Ah no more!" My throat hurt from all my laughing and my ribs ached.

"Tell me how brilliant I am!"

"You're the smartest, cutest and most fantastic scientist and doctor known to man. Now STOP!"

His curly dark hair bounced as he nodded, eventually approving of the statement. He stepped away calmly and grabbed the tea kettle from the cabinet above the stove. I adjusted my blouse as I glared at his back. The only reason I didn't kick the crap out of the doctor was because he was like a brother to me.

Even though Bruce was usually shy and brooding, sometimes he opened up. He would laugh and be incredibly sarcastic. But underneath the timid facade, I had a feeling like Bruce was hiding something. Well, I had secrets too. So I never pried Bruce's.

Suddenly, there was a harsh knock at the front door. I looked up to see a small Indian girl with a worried face. I ran to the door and pried it open.

"What is it? What's happened?" I asked in her native language, kneeling down.

"Doctor."

She was out of breath and continued to repeat the same word over and over.

I heard Bruce walk up behind me. The small girl continued when she saw him from behind me.

"My Father is not waking up! He has a fever and he's moaning. But his eyes won't open!"

Bruce put up his hand.

"Slow down."

The girl adverted her gaze.

"My Father- Please..." Her small brow furrowed and chin wavered.

Bruce nodded his head.

"Take me to him."

The little girl nodded her head and ran off into the evening crowd in the market. Bruce turned to me.

"Ella, I'm sorry. I've got to go." His face was apologetic.

"It's okay Doctor Banner. I'll bring some cookies by for you when they're done, okay?" I knew Bruce had a job to do. I could never be mad at him for that.

He smiled gratefully and pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead as he passed out the door.

"How did I get so lucky with you?"

I laughed at his partially joking yet serious tone.

"Go save a life, Bruce. I'll see you later."

He waved goodbye as he passed through the bakery door, causing the little bell above to ring. I watched him run off after the girl.

A soft smile graced my lips as he disappeared. I turned and walked back to my baking station.

_I_ was the lucky one. To have such an amazing friend after many years of being so alone.

I was still smiling as I heard the bell ring again at the front door. I didn't look up as I finished rolling out the cookie dough.

"We're closed!" I called.

There was no reply.

That's when I heard an uncharacteristic scuff of an expensive loafer across the tile floor. I looked up.

Oh _shit_.

Director Fury stood in front of the kitchen, taking the stool Bruce had departed just moments ago. His black eye patch stared accusingly at me. His black leather jacket brushed the ground in the same way I remembered. The only way I knew he'd changed at all was from the frown lines around his dark eyes and mouth. I swallowed the bile at the back of my throat and plastered a smile on my face.

"Ah... Mr. Fury. Would you like some tea?" My voice never wavered as I leaned forward.

He raised an eyebrow.

"It's _Director _Fury."

And awkward moment full of tension filled the room. The kettle whistled obnoxiously, finally breaking the silence.

"Alright, _Mr_. Fury, how about that tea?" I smiled cheekily. I turned to grab two mugs from one of the cabinets above and busied myself making us the drinks.

"We won't be staying that long." Well that sounded menacing.

"Do you want lemon, sugar or honey," I asked.

"Neither. We won't be staying."

"Honey, lemon, or sugar, Mr. Fury?" I was the one to raise an eyebrow this time. He growled and proceeded to massage his temples.

"Lemon. Please." He ground out the words from behind his gritted teeth. I grinned triumphantly.

"I was making this tea for my friend Bruce. Don't you find it interesting that this is your favorite tea as well? So in a way, I suppose I knew what you wanted before you walked through those doors. Here we are." I came out from behind the counter and passed him his mug. I sat down on the unsteady stool beside him. One leg on the chair was an inch shorter than the others. I sipped the hot drink delicately.

There was silence in the bakery for several minutes. I watched as he held the mug, but never drank from it.

"Mr. Fury, please drink. I do not poison my customers."

Fury glared venomously at me.

"I'm not a customer."

I tilted my head and smiled kindly.

"Oh I have a feeling you will be. I was just about to finish up a batch of sugar cookies. Maybe you could pass them out to the thirty-seven men you have surrounding my shop right now." I sipped the hot tea nonchalantly. Fury raised his eyebrow again and sighed. I felt victorious as he leant forward and drank some of the hot tea. He swallowed.

"That's the best tea I've ever had. I'd like to know the name of the maker-"

I laughed at his awkward transition.

"You can call me Ella," I interrupted.

"No last name?"

"Don't need one." I shrugged my shoulders. The Director sipped his drink.

"Alright _Ella._ How did you know I like green tea?"

I smiled as I finished my tea.

"I can read people very fell, Mr. Fury. As can you, I imagine."

"So you were making the tea for Dr. Banner?" I laughed at the obviousness of his tone.

My head snapped up at his words. "I don't remember telling you Bruce's last name."

Fury tilted his head to the side and gazed at me.

I patted his hand and took his mug and mine to the sink.

"I wasn't finished-" he started accusingly.

Yes you were."

"How did you-"

"I'm good at reading people, Mr. Fury." I turned back to the cookie dough. The Director watched patiently as I cut the dough into various shapes. I slipped the batch into the large industrial baking oven once I was done. After ten minutes of complete silence, I took the cookies out and placed them out on cooling racks. I unfolded one of the bakery boxes. I placed four dozen into the container then folded it up. Finally, I secured the opening of box with a sticker and I walked over to the cash register.

"Alright, that'll be two hundred and eight rupees, please." I grinned as he handed over the money.

"Go hand those out to the nice soldiers outside, and I'll be right behind you."

Fury glanced at me as if I was stupid.

"I just need to close up shop. Go ahead, now."

I felt like a mother. Finally, Fury grabbed the box of cookies and stomped out of the bakery.

I wrote a quick note for my assistant before I left.

_The shop is yours, Elise. Take care of it._

_Lots of love, Ella_

After taping the note to the register, I turned off the oven and placed the remainder of the cookies into another box. I took off my apron and placed it lovingly on my station. I had a gut feeling Fury wouldn't let me come back for a while.

I sighed.

I walked out of the shop and locked the door behind me. I gave the box of cookies, as well as all the rupees Fury paid me, to the group of small children who were playing soccer in the street.

Their eyes went wide at sight of the money and they snatched the rupees and cookies out of my hands before running off into the crowd.

I watched them leave with a smile on my face.

"That was kind of you," Director Fury said as he walked up beside me.

"I would hope you would offer me the same kindness, Mr. Fury." I looked up at his stoic face.

"I need your help."

"...I know."


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original dialogue**

After a too many silent hours on the flight from India back to the United States, several agents ushered me into a small jet after we landed. I climbed the stairs and ducked into the aircraft.

At first glance, I knew the jet was years ahead in technology capability. It had a powerful build yet sleek aerodynamic shape for speed and agility.

I was ordered to take a seat. A man strapped me in as if I was a child.

Or a prisoner.

After another hour, the jet landed.

I was commanded to leave the aircraft by my five babysitters. They followed me onto a aircraft carrier. I turned and looked all around. We were in the middle of the ocean.

In every direction there was water. The wide horizon created an uneasy feeling inside of me.

The message was clear.

_There's no escape._

"Nice to see you got here safe."

I turned to see and amused Fury watching me attempt to find any means of escape.

I sighed when I deduced there wasn't one. That was the point of a carrier in the middle of the ocean.

"Yeah. Thanks for asking nicely."

Fury waved forward the five soldiers. They flanked the two of us.

"Well it could've gone the other way. But times have made me _very_ desperate."

I nodded. Even though I didn't know the specifics, I knew that if Fury was in this state, something catastrophic had to be happening.

That's when I gazed across the carrier.

_Is that Bruce?! _My eyes went wide. He was still wearing the same clothes from India. Fury had at least let me change at my apartment before heading to the airport. I was now dressed a tight black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of thick black leggings.

Bruce looked around as he wrung his hands nervously. Soon he was approached by a red head and a wide-shoulderedman. They conversed for several minutes before I recognised the redhead.

Agent Romanoff.

I was just about to step forward when Fury placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You should probably step back. It's going to get difficult to breathe."

I looked up at him questioningly.

At that moment, the carrier let out a thundering noise and shuddered beneath my feet.

Enormous fans kicked into motion and moments later the craft began to rise.

"Ah. It's a Helicarrier."

Now there was absolutely no chance of escape. Before I could've at least swam to the nearest shore.

The Director chuckled, knowingly and guided me into the ship.

He walked me into a large, busy, room.

Many people were calling out orders and statuses of the ship as they read system updates. At the back of the room was a glass conference table.

Sitting me down in one of the chairs, He handcuffed me to the table in the middle of the room. I rolled my eyes.

"Give me a minute, alright? Play nice with the others," he growled before turning to five armed soldiers. "Make sure you watch her. Shoot her if she runs," he finished, eyeing me knowingly. The soldiers stood at attention and saluted him.

"Others?" My brow creased as Fury left with a flourish of his leather coat. I sighed and laid my head down on the glass table.

I heard a couple men walk into the vicinity.

Raising my head, I saw Bruce accompanied by the blonde man.

Bruce's eyes went wide when he saw me.

"Ella!" He attempted to rush forward but was stopped by the guards around me. Two of them placed their hands on Bruce's chest in a silent warning.

I smiled weakly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The usually calm doctor hissed accusingly at me past the wall of emotionless guards.

"I could ask you the same thing," I drawled, raising a brow before laying my head down again. Gods, I was tired.

The blonde man gazed about in childlike awe at the sheer size and appearance at the room.

The soldiers running about the deck looked mostly identical with navy and black skin-tight suits and black combat boots.

"- S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol 193.6 in effect. We're at level, Sir.," a pretty brunette soldier listed off for Fury as he approached the deck.

"Good. Let's vanish," he ordered.

"Reflection panel engaged."

Fury turned back to address the three of us.

"Gentlemen."

I scoffed. I glared up at Fury. He rolled his eyes.

"-and Lady," he amended.

I watched with calculating eyes as Blondie slipped the Director a dollar bill. Fury paused a moment before continuing toward Bruce. He shook his hand good-naturedly.

"Doctor, thank you for coming."

"Thanks for asking nicely," Bruce responded quietly. I snorted. He sounded exactly like me.

"You know what'd be really nice?" I began, "If somebody could take these cuffs off me."

Fury sighed as he dropped Bruce's hand. The Director turned to face me.

"Those are just a precaution."

"Precaution against _what_?" I raised a questioning brow.

"You."

I could tell he wasn't trying to be funny. I grumbled as a leaned back in my chair. I guess that was fair.

Bruce glanced at Fury in alarm. The Doctor spoke carefully.

"So-um- how long am I going to be staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind."

"And where are you with that?" Bruce seemed interested to get started immediately. Probably so he could get back to India.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us." This was Agent Coulson. His hairline had receded farther back and his suit was more tailored and expensive.

"It's still not gonna find them in time," Agent Romanoff stated, crouching in front of a computer screen with Agent Barton's profile on it.

"Where's Agent Barton?" I questioned innocently. Romanoff glanced at me but didn't respond.

"You need to narrow your field," Bruce stated, "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?" Obviously Fury didn't know everything as he would try to have others perceive.

"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put their spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for Gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm with basic cluster recognition. At least we can rule out a couple places." As Bruce spouted off the information, He took off his navy blazer, leaving him standing in his wrinkled eggplant-hued dress shirt.

Fury nodded, gazing at Banner as if he was thankful he brought this man on to help.

"Wait, wait, wait. Gamma rays? Is that why you brought me in?" I shouted and tried to stand up, only to be yanked down by the handcuffs and sat forcibly by two of the guards. I glared.

"You have somewhere for me to work?"

"Agent Romanoff? Can you please show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?"

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We have all the toys," Agent Romanoff said in a monotonous voice.

I watched as they left the room, Bruce glancing worriedly at me before following her out.

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**Holy crap that took forever. I couldn't find the script online, so I've been watching the same part in the movie like fifty times over the past two hours. Gah.**

**Review if you liked it!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Heya guys! So in this chapter, we're gonna have a little bit of a plot twist... then shit's really gonna go down xD**

**Disclaimer: I only own the awesomeness that is Ella. lol**

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I sat at the conference table for several hours. Everyone had orders from Fury not to speak to me. I tried to sleep, but the continuous chatter of agents on the bridge made it impossible. Just as I was about to doze off, Fury's loud voice shattered my attempt.

"Captain, Ella. You're up."

My head shot up. It spun from the rapid motion.

_Up for what?_

I groaned.

One of the guards unlocked my handcuffs. The 'Captain' looked at me warily.

"You're my backup?"

I raised one dark brow.

"Alright Ma'am, let's go then," he sighed.

I stood and followed him.

Just as we were about to leave, Fury called, "Capitan? Whatever you do, don't let her out of your sight."

"But she's just a girl, Director-"

"-she's probably the most dangerous person on this ship."

The blonde man turned to look at me, expression darkening. There was a long pronounced pause, filled with tension. Finally, the Capitan let out a shaky breath before exiting the room. I couldn't help the smile that lit up my features.

Minutes later, we entered what looked like an armoury. At the end of the room was a suit behind a polished glass case. A suit that looked like-

"You're Captain America, yes?"

The man sighed. "That I am. And who are you? Normally, I would be happy to work with a woman, but I need real backup out there. Not a girl. I apologize Ma'am."

Gods above. My anger rose as the man took the suit out from behind the glass. I breathed deeply as the Capitan moved into a changing booth.

"You can call me Steve by the way."

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room, grabbing several knives on the way.

"This is the part where you tell me your name."

Silence.

"There's no need to be upset. I know that being paired with me on a mission may scare a young lady such as yourself, but I think we could be-" Steve stuck his head out of the booth.

"-really good friends." He sighed to himself as he raced out into the hallway, now in his Capitan America gear, and went on the hunt for the small woman.

* * *

I was sitting silently inside the aircraft designated for Germany. I turned my head at the sound of footsteps. Capitan America climbed aboard the craft, a disgruntled look upon his face. As soon as he saw me, the man lunged forward to grab my wrist. I crouched to the ground, twisting my body, using the force of his movement to throw him forcefully against the ground. The Capitan tried to wrench his arm free. He looked at me with awe in his features. I attempted to calm my breathing.

"That was not wise, Capitan," I said, voice lilting with deadly calm.

I let him go as soon as he stopped fighting me. The man stood to face me. I sat back in my designated seat and closed my eyes.

"How do you move so fast?" I felt him sit beside me and buckle up.

"Do not ask a question if you're afraid to hear the answer." My eyes were closed as I heard another person arrive on the jet. I could feel the Capitan's pointed stare burning through my profile.

The light mass, distinctive sole pattern and definitive European perfume of the individual led me to the conclusion that Agent Romanoff would be accompanying us. The jet started up several moments later and suddenly we were in the air.

Twenty minutes into the flight, the Capitan unbuckled himself and stalked to the front of the aircraft. I could hear hushed voices.

"Does she always act like that?"

"Ah. You too?"

"Yeah-"

"Don't take it too hard; she does that to everyone at least once. You should've seen Fury after their first run in. She's the one who broke his nose." There was a slight smile in her voice.

"Are you kidding?!"

"I wish I was."

I was able to ignore the rest of their conversation until we were above Stuttgart.

Agent Romanoff's voice was shouting orders.

"-Let's take him down."

My eyes shot open and I immediately unlatched my seatbelt. I watched as Capitan America fidgeted with the straps of his shield. The back of the jet lowered ominously.

The Capitan looked uncomfortable at the height of the jet in accordance to the ground.

"Excuse me!" He yelled to Agent Romanoff, who appeared to be the pilot, "Can you take us down any more? I don't want the Lady getting injured."

I shook my head at his immaturity and took a running start. I shot past him, causing him to cry out in fear.

I launched myself off the jet, without a parachute. I streamlined my body, breaking through the harsh winter air. The rapid wind bit my exposed neck and face.

The drop took only moments. The black of night tenderly caressed my body. As if I was flying again. The bright stars hid behind large clouds. All of a sudden, the ground was arriving fast.

I tucked my arms around my body and rolled onto the pavement. The asphalt bit into my shoulders which took most of the impact.

I looked up. I saw a group of people kneeling before a man in god-like armour. An elderly man stood.

"-Not to men like you."

"There are no men like me," the god scoffed.

"There are always men like you." A shiver ran down my spine at his words.

"Look to your elder, people! Let him be the example."

The towering man sent forth a bolt of energy from the sceptre at his side.

I lunged forward. I knew this man. This god.

"Loki!" My voice ripped through the tension just before Capitan America stepped forward, blocking the energy with his shield. It bounced back, directing towards the original source.

Loki's head snapped up at the sound of my voice. Cold features melted. Shock appeared. His eyebrows raised as eyes widened. Suddenly, the god fell to the ground in an extravagant bow. His robes pooled around him.

My jaw clenched. I watched as the crowd looked to me with confusion written clearly on their faces. The Capitan especially.

"Rise Loki, son of Odin," I called with authority. The god rose and approached me swiftly. The crowd scattered to make a path.

"It is a joy to look upon your sweet face once more, my Lady." Loki took my hand and pressed a lengthy kiss on the back.

I nodded my head cordially. It had been many years since I had been treated in such a way.

"But there is something I must do."

I groaned internally as Loki turned to strike the Capitan. The crowd scattered quickly. I watched as the men fought each other with intensity. The jet approached, Romanoff's voice ordered Loki to stand down.

Moments later, strange music overrode the Agent's voice.

A flash of red and gold entered my peripheral vision. I rolled to the side just seconds before a man rocketed past me and barrelled into Loki. The god fell against some stairs and stared up at the man in the iron suit and the Capitan.

The robot aimed its fist at Loki. It glowed a dangerous blue. I ran forward and launched myself in front of Loki. I spread my arms wide, trying to shield him from the attack.

"Who the hell is this?" The robot spoke in a mechanic and sarcastic tone. My head cocked to the side.

Capitan America stepped back.

"My backup. Stand down, Stark."

Both men put their weapons away.

I looked behind me to see Loki laughing manically.

"You know not who this is? Oh where I'm from, she is but a legend. Gods bowed to her-"

I cut him off quickly with a wave of my hand. No one could know.

Loki looked to me in outrage.

"These children should be bowing for you! Kissing the ground you choose to grace!"

"Cease these words son of Odin. Your time for childish action has come to an end." My voice was cold and detached, making the man of iron turn to face me. The helmet of his suit degenerated back into his suit.

The man before me was attractive with chocolate brown locks adorning his scalp and matching precise facial hair. His dark brown eyes studied me suspiciously before he accompanied the Capitan and the new prisoner back to the jet.

My bright silver eyes followed Loki as Capitan America walked him over to the jet. The god of mischief struggled in his grip.

"You should kneel before her! _Kneel_!"

His shouts made my heart clench.

If only these humans really knew.

* * *

**Have any guesses to what's going on? Review!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hello my lovelies!**

**You are all fantastic. Yes you. And you! And you reading over there. Hugs and cookies and unicorns for all! (Well... maybe not the unicorns...) **

**So many reviews/favs/alerts/follows for last chapter. I'm seriously amazed at how awesome you guys are! **

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**TanabrisSagittarius: Yes! In these chapters, the plot should really pick up. It was kinda bumpy in the transition to movieverse cause I go off with my Oc plotlines. lol. :DD**

**XxLostInTheMusicxX: Yes! PLOT TWIST TIME! Aha sorry, man. You will find out soon. No spoilers ;D**

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**Disclaimer: I only own Ella... if that's even her name... ;D**

* * *

The jet shook dangerously as it passed through a storm cloud. My elbows rested on my knees as I leaned forward. I sat across from Loki, who was looking increasingly nervous. His dark gaunt features were pointed upward as he looked at the lightning outside.

Mr. Stark, as "Steve" had informed me, was quite a brilliant man. I really couldn't see how that could be possible.

I had never heard of him.

"Never? Like NEVER? Never _ever_?"

I shook my head in response.

"That's not possible. Capitan, how's that possible?!"

Capitan America raised a brow.

"Mr. Stark, I've told you to please call me Steve."

Stark rolled his eyes as he started pacing.

"_Steve_, Peter Pan, it doesn't matter what I call you. What _really_ matters right now is that this lovely creature has never heard of me before!"

His steps grew erratic.

I breathed deeply.

How could this man be so childish?

Loki glared daggers at the man in the iron suit.

"Do not speak of her in such degrading ways."

His voice was calm, yet held an air of warning. It sent a chill down my spine.

Stark scoffed and returned to his pacing, now fitting a fist underneath his chin as he crossed his arms. He looked to be deep in thought.

"Peter- who?" Steve still seemed to be incredibly confused, brow still creasing. Stark wave him off with a hand.

"Who the hell are you, anyway? You have to be someone pretty important if a god bows to you. People don't even bow to _me_." He stalked up to me. Our face were only a hairsbreadth away. Standing my ground, the man in the metal suit looked me up and down, squinting his eyes together. Finally he stepped away. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. "Nope. I don't see it."

I remained silent as I watched a streak of lightening from within the foggy embrace of clouds. My back went ramrod straight.

I heard Loki breathe deeply.

Steve noticed his reaction.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightening?" Amusement coloured his tone.

Loki turned to face me.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," he finally answered.

Suddenly, a strong impact barrelled into the jet, causing it to dip dangerously in the night sky. I unbuckled myself and ran to the back of the jet, opening the hatch. There was a bright light. My whole body hurt. I could smell burning flesh.

"What the hell are you doing, Lady?!"

Steve shouted as he wrapped his arms around my waist, attempting to pull me back into the jet. I collapsed against him.

"Was that lightning? Did she just-?! That's... so... AWESOME!" I didn't have to look over to know that it was Tony who had spoken.

A wave of helplessness flooded me. I growled as heat started to grow in my body. Like the strands of a spider web, overwhelming rage burst from the center of my chest. I continued to struggle against the arms of Steve. I tried to calm my breathing. My eyes widened and breathing quickened.

"No, no, no! Let go of me! Please! I don't want to harm you. Let go!"

I was having an Incident.

I looked back to Loki who was still sitting, was now watching me with terror in his eyes.

"What, so you can kill yourself! We're in the middle of a _storm cloud_!"

The Capitan was struggling with keeping my body upright.

I started going into convulsions.

"For the sake of the gods, please run! Please-!"

My heart skyrocketed.

I gasped for breath as my spine bent backwards in Steve's grasp.

The face of Agent Romanoff entered my vision. Her eyes went wide.

"Jesus Christ! Let her go, Capitan! She's having a seizure."

His hands dropped me immediately, my body feeling as if it were on fire.

I could hear Stark's serious voice entangled with the squabbling.

"That doesn't look like a seizure..."

A blue light began to shine from the depths of my chest.

"-run..." I gasped out through my short intakes of air.

Romanoff looked confused.

"What did she just say?!"

All of a sudden, there was another person in the jet.

Striding through the back was a broad man in battle armour and a red cape. Blonde hair was tousled by the furious wind caused by the altitude. His handsome face was immediately troubled as he took in the crowd attempting to hold me down. When Steve moved to the side, the man's eyes widened at the sight of me. He dropped a enormous hammer on the grate floor and ran to my side.

Romanoff's head snapped over to him at his arrival.

"Who the hell are you? Are you Thor? Loki's brother?!"

"Aye. Flee mortals. This is not something you can meddle with!" Thor's voiced boomed like the lightening he created.

The god picked me up swiftly, despite the heat, and moved us to the back of the jet.

I cried out as the light exploded from my body.

Then the jet was falling.

"Systems failure! I repeat we have a systems failure! Abort aircraft," the pilot's panicked voice filled the cabin.

The group exchanged hurried glances.

Stark quickly slipped his helmet on and grabbed Loki. Then they were gone.

Agent Romanoff, Steve and the pilot strapped parachutes to their backs and consecutively exited the jet.

Last to depart were Thor and I. I was still convulsing the god began spinning his hammer.

We flew off into the dark of night. I cried out when a bolt of lightning struck us. Thor seemed to be the most appropriate conductor in the vicinity. He spun us around so he took the brunt of the force.

The wind whipped past us as we followed Mr. Stark and Loki to a large outcrop of rocks surrounded by woods.

Thor landed us on the formation of rocks. He laid my trembling body down on the stone. The god's face was a hairs breadth away from mine. The sweet taste of honey accompanied Thor's breath as it caressed my lips. My eyes drifted shut.

What felt like an eternity later, I heard voices arguing.

"She needs CPR! I could save her if you just get your Shakespearian ass out of the way!"

"She is a Guardian! They do not require saving! Do you even know what you're dealing with?"

"Shakespeare in the park? Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?"

"Step aside metal man."

"She's not breathing! At least give her air and compressions!"

There was silence for several moments.

I felt breath next to my ear.

"I will repent once you are well, Guardian. Please forgive me..."

Then a pair of lips were fitted over mine. Even in unconsciousness, I could feel their full yet perfectly soft texture. A breath of sweet honey filled my lungs.

My chest rose lifelessly, only because of the breath of the god.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Capsicle, cool down."

"Is this really the time-?"

The lips of perfection disappeared. Thor picked up his hammer again.

"I DO NOT DISGRACE THIS WOMAN!"

"Then why are you kissing her? Why don't you put down the hammer then?"

Thor roared.

"Yeah, no, bad idea! He loves to-" There was a loud noise, and Stark was gone.

"YOU WANT ME TO PUT THE HAMMER DOWN?!"

Thor spun his hammer and brought it down on the rock, or what he _thought_ was the ground.

The god of lightning brought his hammer down on my chest.

Blue light exploded everywhere.

The forest was leveled.

Then all I knew was darkness.

* * *

**Ooooooo snap girl! how'd you guys like it? You get a little smidge of a clue of who she is... Did anyone else think Thor was super attractive in the Avengers?**

**Maybe I'll have to make this a Thor/Oc... Hawkeye's havin some competition!**

**Review!**


	13. Chapter 12

**'Ello lovies! Hope everyone's having a great day. Heres the chapter that I think you've been waiting for! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own... but I own the awesomness that's about to occur...**

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I was awakened by someone shaking me. My eyes snapped open. I grabbed the offending arm, methodically snapped the wrist, and tossed the person over my shoulder.

I flipped off the surface I'd been laying on, and somersaulted through air.

"Où suis-je!" I shouted when I landed, stepping into a fighting stance.

My eyes darted to the side, locating a fraction of movement in the corner. A painful groan followed.

I looked around, cataloguing the lack of escape routes.

I seemed to have been locked within a room constructed of only glass walls. A metal table and chair were the only items in the barren room. I saw multiple cameras in the corners of the ceiling.

I stormed up to the person who'd awakened me. Lifting the man up against the wall, one hand on his throat.

"Où suis-je." My voice was filled with venom. I watched the man struggled to breath, scratching at my grip. His long blond, greasy hair was slicked back to his head. I watched in slight amusement as it didn't move at all as he struggled.

"I don't know w-what you're saying-"

"Let him go." This voice was cool and calculated.

I recognised it, as if from a distant memory. I turned, still holding onto the unappealing man.

Outside of the glass room stood a towering dark-skinned man. Dressed in a leather trench coat and eye patch, the man held a certain authority to him-

"Mr. Fury," I greeted with a small smile. My memory was attempting to break out of a dense fog of my subconscious. Something must have happened... wait did Thor hit me with a hammer?

"Let. Him. Go." The words were pronounced so profusely, the man spat lightly on the glass.

I released the weasel immediately.

"You're fucking _insane_." The man's pale skin was void of all color as he sprinted for the door. A guard on the other side let him out, not before glaring threateningly in my direction as I took a step towards the door.

"Don't try it."

My eyes lazily turned back to the Director.

"What are you going to do, Mr. Fury? You cannot imprison me if I'm supposed to be aiding you."

"Helping me? Is that what you were doing when you took down my jet?"

"That was not my fault, Sir. Your soldier grabbed me."

"So you kill everyone who touches you?"

I though back to Agent Barton. A strange feeling overwhelmed my stomach. I had to fight back the blush threatening to appear on my face.

"Not everyone."

"You almost murdered Agent Brenner just now," Fury stated obviously.

"If I wanted him dead, he would be." My tone matched his.

The Director sighed.

"It's time you gave me the answers I need. Can you behave?"

I glared as he raised one questioning brow.

Finally, I nodded.

Fury picked up a file folder. Nodding once to the officer at the door, he entered the room with a swirl of his leather coat. He took a seat the table, in turn forcing me to stand since there was only one chair. The Director opened the folder with a flick of his wrist. I crossed my arms across my chest. I realized at that moment it hurt more than I'd ever experienced before. I'd have to have a long talk with Thor after.

He cleared his throat.

"Alright. Let's begin. This interview will be recorded in case of further situations and for training exercises."

I sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose. I waved for him to proceed.

"Where do you come from?"

"Are you really going to try this again? From what I remember, it did not turn out beneficial in your favour."

"Persistence is key."

"Who told you that?"

"It's a well known saying. You do not have it on the planet you're from?"

"I see what you're trying to do here... Obviously the person who invented that saying never met me, Mr. Fury."

"Director," he spat through gritted teeth.

"Hmm?"

"You will address me as Director Fury, or not at all. Am I clear?"

"I will remember that for next time, Mr. Fury." I smiled sweetly at the loathing expressed on his face.

"Where are you from?" The Director repeated. His patience was wearing extremely thin by the breaths he was expelling. Obviously he had experienced prior training on anger management.

"Why haven't you asked Thor and Loki?" I questioned.

"We've locked Loki away in another section of the Helicarrier. We believe you are a higher security threat."

"I'd rather you didn't deflect my questions, Mr. Fury. This would go much more smoothly."

"Where. Are. You. FROM!" The Director stood and slammed the table with his large hands. I heard the guard outside the door jump at the enraged actions.

"You know not of it," I answered. Fury's lips tightened.

* * *

Tony had hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D's security cameras and had routed the interview so it was playing in one of the conference rooms. Natasha sat at the table across from Steve, watching the feed off of a tablet.

Bruce leaned on the table, arms crossed in front of his purple dress shirt. Thor paced, also having his muscled arms crossed as he pondered deeply at the interview playing over the intercom.

Everyone was still dressed in their suits, seemingly out of place when compared to the sleek furniture.

"_Well, enlighten me_," Fury's voice boomed. The small girl looked so strange with her blonde hair and dark features. She took the yelling and punishment as if were second nature.

"How the hell is she doing that?" Natasha whispered in awe as she ruffled her short, scarlet hued locks.

"Doing what?" Steve looked at the agent in confusion.

"Going toe to toe with Fury. I've never seen _anything_ like this before. She just looks like a little kid-"

"She's anything but a little kid. I was taught to bow to her when I was but a child. She's been around almost longer than the Earth-"

"_I'm from a different world, Mr. Fury. Are you prepared to hear what I'm about to say_?" The woman's lilting voice floated through the intercom, causing a shiver to travel down Bruce's spine.

"How come she never told me?" His voice was depressed with a year of lies.

"She cannot tell. That is the code of the Guardians. They are executed by the High Council if they speak about their legacy."

Bruce's brow furrowed.

"I thought you said Guardians cannot be killed..."

"_Lesengard_."

"_What_?"

"_The planet I'm from. It is called Lesengard_."

"Then what the hell is she doing?!" Bruce's eyes widened as he listened to the words coming from his friend's mouth.

"_Ah. Is that similar to Asgard_?"

The small woman laughed sardonically.

"_Lesengard is to Asgard as your God is to you. We are more than you can imagine. We are worshipped in the highest esteem. Across every universe._"

"_Alright then... who are you then? In your world?"_

The team was silent as they watched the woman run a tired hand down her face. Thor's breathing hitched as she looked at Fury in despair.

"_I am Giselle, high priestess of the Order of the Guardians, and daughter of Folkvarðr_, _king of Lesengard_."

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**D'oh SNAP! Any of you guys guess that one? Let me know what you think xD **

**Review if you wanna read more!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello once again my lovelies! **

**Wow. You guys really went to town on the review/fav/follows... THANK YOU!**

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**dancing penguin: Hahaha thanks**

**Guest: Yes that is true... Ella may just have to figure this one out on her own!**

**Guest: ... Here's an update.. lol.**

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**Dalonega Noquisi: I'm so glad! thanks for continuing to read! Oo if you're excited to learn about Ella, this is the chapter for you!**

**: Hahahaha thank you for thinking long and hard about it! Idk man, I'm kinda undecided right now. Half of you guys say Thor, half Hawkeye. I might have to have a poll or something..**

**Theta-McBride: Thank you for reviewing! It keeps me updating and writing.**

**CGKrows: That's awesome, man. I felt like it'd be a cool way to take the story. Thanks xD**

**ellaturner1234: If you want Hawkeye, be excited for the next couple chapters. He's coming back!**

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"You know, Giselle, if you help us locate the Tesseract, maybe Thor can help you in the direction of your home."

He closed the folder as he spoke, now filled with numerous notes from our interview.

I shook my head and ran a hand through my icy blonde locks.

"Please, don't call me that. Only the Queen regarded me a Giselle. Please call me Ella. It's not as- stuffy."

"I'll remember that for next time," Fury smirked as he used my words against me.

"But why can't we help you get home? You are important to your people. They need you."

"I am but a shadow of my former glory," I whispered as I laid my flushed cheek upon the table.

Fury sighed.

"I bet that's not true. You're a nice woman...when you're not exploding-"

I groaned.

"That was not a fault of mine. If you wish to blame someone, blame the Prince of Asgard." I watched as Fury's brow furrowed.

"What did Thor do?"

"The Asgardian's were using an ancient power bestowed upon them by the Guardians. The Tesseract is made out of this same magic. They were using the Bifröst, a bridge of sorts, to jump from world to world. But... all magic comes with a price-"

Silence filled the room. Fury waited patiently for me to continue. I traced unintelligible patterns into the cold metal of the table top as I leaned against it.

"I was testing a prototype for the Lesgardian military. The aircraft detected high levels of Gamma radiation coming from the Bifröst... After being used extensively, the energy needed to be replenished. The energy from the bridge latched onto the one thing in its radius that had enough magic... enough power..."

I breathed shakily, attempting to fight off the overwhelming emotions of grief that swept through my body. I bit my lip.

"It latched onto you, didn't it?"

I looked up at Fury. His uncovered eye looked at me with something I had not seen before in him; compassion.

I nodded.

"The unfiltered power of the Bifröst sent my aircraft into a systems failure. Because the power was not harnessed, it sent me to the same location the Asgardians wished to reach; Earth. The energy of the bridge sent me and my craft falling through time. Using the remnants of my magic that had not been stripped by the Bifröst, I picked a rough time span on which I would crash on Earth. Knowing what I did of Earth's points in history that were fixed in time... I became a relevant date. The Roswell Landing. And so I was stranded here, without magic, with only my military training. Forced to wait until the time when Asgardians came to Earth, so I could finally return home."

I felt lightheaded as my story came to a close. _You've waited so long... and now you cannot return.._.

This was a nightmare.

"So you've waited all this time. Thor can help you get back!"

If only it were that simple," I smiled grimly, "I would be sentenced to death by the High Council for what I have told you this day."

"You said yourself that Guardians cannot die. You've proven that. Thor brought down his hammer and you barely have a bruise..."

I waved off his comment with an exasperated gesture.

"Guardians are given a certain amount of time to exist before they are born. Life spans can extend for millions of years, such as the Elders, or mere thousands like our children. The punishment of the High Council is death for informing outsiders of the functioning of the Order."

"Why is the punishment so harsh? Is it so terrible to associate with the human race? To co-exist?"

My patience was wearing thin at the rapid-fire questions spewing from his lips.

"Guardians see the entirety of time and space. We live and breathe, keeping watch over the universe. We cannot meddle where points in time are fixed, but other moments can be bent. Even broken, if the Guardian is strong enough. When the Earth was an infant, it knew of Lesengard and the Guardians. But over time, as if ripples of a lake, the message became tainted and forgotten. In the folklore of your people, they call us Guardian Angels. Even though we do not have halos and wings, we are completely pure of heart. If word got out we were divulging secrets of the Order; there would be an uproar. The Guardians would be tainted."

"But how do they kill those who are tainted?" The interest could not be hidden from his voice. I grimaced. Not even my people spoke of those who were executed.

"A prison within time itself. Folded in on itself until there is no escape. Ultimately going mad, the Prison of Time keeps the Guardians who are no longer pure and holds them until their life expectancy is worn out."

Fury went silent again. He sighed deeply after several minutes of me pacing inside the prison.

"So why did you explode?"

I grumbled, Sliding down the wall opposite Fury until I was sitting.

"At moments of high levels of stress, the unharnessed power of the Bifröst is released when there are hormones and adrenaline in the blood. I shouldn't have an Incident for several years now because the magic is fading from my body."

The Director continued to write inside the folder. What was once empty many years ago, was now overloaded with hundreds of detailed pages of accounts and testimonies. With a flourish of his pen, Fury signed his name at the bottom of the latest sheet.

"Alright, I'm almost ready to let you go. I just have one last question."

I smiled with relief. I motioned for him to continue.

"If... if you are a High Priestess and Princess of your planet, why were you piloting the prototype?"

I nodded slowly as I looked at the ground. I tried to formulate my words in my mind so the Director would understand.

"I was elected by the Order of the Guardians as High Priestess. I did not choose that path. When I was born, it was catalogued that my life expectancy would be incredibly short in their terms, but my Magic would be more powerful than they had ever witnessed. The more Magic you're born with, the more it attracts the attention of the Guardians.

In Lesengard, there are two choices made for you when you are born. Either you are decreed a Guardian or enlisted to the Military. At birth, the majority of the population are sent into the Military because the Lesengardian child has limited Magic, but in turn they have almost eternal life. These people are called Grunts.

When I was elected, I was only several hundred years old. I was pushed by my fat- King to join the Order."

I was struggling to finish the story. I wiped a tired hand down my face.

"There- there was so much pressure coming from my family. To run the Order and to watch over time and space... After one and a half thousand years, I managed to leave the Order and enlisted myself in the military. My family was furious with my decision. I was the heir to the throne and I was sleeping, eating, and training with Grunts; the lower class. I was trained in the Lesengard Air Force. After years of missions throughout the universe, I was contracted out to engineers, testing prototypes for the Military.

When I joined the Military, I forfeited the throne to my sister, Sarah. She disowned me as family when I took the mission to pilot the prototype instead of being with her when she gave birth to her child. I-I should've stayed with her... I s-should've-"

I gulped down the lump in my throat from the tears brimming in my eyes.

"Ella."

I looked up slowly from my knees which were pulled up to my chest. The pretty brunette woman I had seen before on the deck stood on the other side of the glass wall. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun and shone in the bright light. She smiled kindly at me when I caught her stare as she locked her arms behind her back.

"Agent Hill will show you to your room. Get some sleep, Soldier." Was that a _smile_? That was interesting.

I got up slowly and walked to the door. The guard punched in the key code and unlocked the door. I hesitated. Turning around, I straightened my posture and performed a perfect salute.

"Thank you for your time, Director Fury."

Yes, that was most certainly a smile on his face.

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**Awwwe nice way to end the chapter, hey? You guys happy with the way everythings coming together?**

**Review!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Here's a little bit of steaminess and badass-ery to keep you guys interested till next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

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I woke up, gasping for air. I sat upright in the small bed that was tucked in the small corner of the room. My forehead was damp with sweat.

I ran a shaking hand through my tangled hair. I dreamt of my Fall again. I stumbled to the small adjoining bathroom. Letting water pool in my hands, I splashed some frigid water on my fevered skin.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of clouds as I passed through the unfiltered Bifröst.

Crying out, I sank to the tile floor.

My ears picked up a loud thundering noise from the other side of my bathroom wall.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of tile and plaster raining down on me. I scrambled back, screaming out.

A whirl of muscled skin broke through the new hole in my bathroom.

"LADY GISELLE! WHERE IS THE FOE?" His gruff voice roared through the small room.

"Thor... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

I watched the Prince's eyes run up and down my body, darkening slightly with emotion.

This was when I remembered I was only dressed in my bra and boy short panties. I stood slowly, blocking out the pain of the plaster and glass cutting into the soft skin of my feet. I cleared my throat awkwardly as Thor rested his eyes on my exposed chest.

My breasts were ample within the confines of the black lace. My toned stomach flared into narrow hips and toned thighs. I swallowed, watching Thor's eyes trace my curves with lustful eyes.

His golden irises stretched around dilated pupils. He stepped forward. The Prince's wide chest was bare of his usual golden armor. Black breeches hung low on narrow hips. Thor's blonde locks brushed his shoulders as he stalked forward. His movements were seductive, almost like a panther. I walked backward. Finally out of room for escape in the small bathroom, I pressed my shoulder blades against the oak of the door.

Thor stopped walking when he bent forward, his nose grazing mine.

A moan left my lips as the god grabbed my hips, bringing them flush to his. The Asgardian brought one finger up to pull my chin closer to his lips. I placed my hands on his sculpted pecs.

The taste of honey assaulted my senses as he fit his full lips against mine. His ministrations caused me to moan when he tilted my head to the side. In my head though, it was not the God of Thunder I was imagining. He was shorter. More lean. Close cut hair and chiseled jaw-

_It's been years since you've seen him, Ella. Why can't you fantasize about the god in front of you? _

I pulled away immediately, noticing the sound of protest that rumbled through the man's chest. Snapping back to reality, I pushed Thor away, causing him to stumble. I ran a hand roughly through my hair.

"What in the name of the gods do you think you're doing?" My words were quiet and deadly in intention.

"I heard you cry out... I thought... something was awry-"

"And you thought my lips would tell you?"

"In a way. I was also apologizing for bringing the hammer down. I assume you accept my gravest apologies," he smirked.

I sighed. Even though Thor was gorgeous and had muscles any woman would die for... he was a little conceited.

"Not gonna happen," I snorted.

Thor seemed confused.

"What's not, Lady Giselle?" His voice was still booming, even though we were speaking of intimate affairs.

"Us."

"For what reason?"

"Have you met a girl you care for here on Midgard, Thor?"

He beamed brilliantly, as though he'd forgotten about the kiss that'd just taken place. Or that he'd just blown a hole in the wall of my bathroom.

"Aye! Her name is Lady Jane, and she is a scient-"

I put up a hand before crossing my arms over my bare chest. This was feeling increasingly awkward as the conversation continued.

"- I bet she's lovely! When we are finished locating the Tesseract, you should locate her. I have a feeling she'd wish to speak with you." I opened the door, swiftly walking back into my bedroom.

This was getting a _lot_ more complicated.

* * *

Later in the morning, I was able to sneak into Natasha's room while she was at the gym and take an outfit for the day. Well not, "take", exactly. More like, borrow. I slipped into the black suit, having to roll up the pant legs and sleeves. After, I made my way over to the dining hall.

The back of the hall was a buffet style line. The room was mostly empty, except for several of the cooks. The funny thing about them was that they look almost as scary as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they wielded their knives. I swung by to pick up an apple and knife to cut it into wedges. I began meandering towards the deck of the Helicarrier.

I walked through the hall, I heard loud arguing coming from one of the rooms.

Peeking my head inside, I saw Bruce, Steve and Stark standing around a table. Upon it was the sceptre Loki had used when I'd first seen him in Germany.

"We have orders, we should follow them."

Steve's tone was forceful. I cut into the apple, carving a perfect slice. I slipped the piece into my mouth; the knife still embedded inside. I chewed the tender flesh of the fruit tenderly, careful not to slice myself on the large knife. I crossed my arms, watching the drama unfold.

"Following's not really my style."

The flippant remark made me scoff. Bruce turned, hearing my reaction. He quickly whipped his head back around to whatever he was studying, blatantly ignoring me. I frowned.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?"

"Of the people in this room, which one is A - wearing a spangly outfit and B - not of use?"

After a stare off between the two men, Steve left the room. I grimaced at the look on his face as he passed me, barely brushing my arm as he strode through the door.

"You know what?" I started, still munching my apple as I entered the room, "It was people like you that made my job difficult when I was on Lesengard."

I cut myself another wedge. I had his attention now. He watched my handiwork as I stabbed with a little more force then needed.

Tony pouted sardonically.

"Oh Princess, were the pillows not fluffed enough my your maids? I'm sorry-"

"The kind of people that made me want to break the rules of fixed points in time."

I tried to ignore the jabs at my life and heritage. This man knew _nothing_ about what I'd been through.

"Oh I knew I was important!"

He lifted his hand, attempting to get Bruce to return a high-five. Bruce raised one dark eyebrow, looking over the wire rims of his glasses. The man lowered his arm, looking slightly dejected over being turned down by his newfound friend.

I gritted my teeth, feeling a wave of anger overtake me. Was everything a game to him?

"You're the kind of man, Mr. Stark, I would break the rules of time for, just to watch the light drain from your eyes as you died by my hand."

I flicked my wrist with lightening speed. The knife I'd been using to cut my apple whipped through the air, embedding directly into the centimeter of room Stark had between his toes on his right foot and the end of his expensive loafers.

The room went silent. All that could be heard were the pattering Stark's blueberries made against the floor. Then there was a strangely female sounding screech. Tony looked watched me with wide eyes as I turned to leave the room.

"WHAT THE HEL-"

I interrupted the rude man by raising my hand. I turned to watch as he reached down, attempting to pull the large knife out of his polished shoe.

"If you're that important, Mr. Stark, maybe you should buy yourself another pair of shoes. Cause obviously you cannot purchase people in the same way."

I walked out of the room, munching my apple and humming as I walked down the hall.

* * *

**Well, I think Ella's made up ****_her _****mind. And she toooold Tony! Gosh he can be an ass sometimes.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone! I know- don't shoot- it's been a week or so since I've posted a new chapter. **

**I've been in and out of the hospital, and today was the first day I've been at a computer.**

**Here are my responses to all of your reviews!**

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**Guest: Hey! Yes I'm aware that Thor is acting ooc at the moment, no need to worry. I'm writing the story the way I'd like to see it happen. If you're upset about the way characters are acting, I apologize. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**An Echo In Time: Tony and Ella will most certainly get along eventually, don't worry! I love Tony too!**

**deathgeonous: Thanks so much!**

**: Thank you!**

**w8ing4rain: Hahaha thanks man! I hope you enjoy this chapter xD**

**lederra: Thanks for the multiple reviews! Oo you enjoyed the sexy Barton chapter? Me too ;D Oh yeah, Brenner's a dick. I'm glad you're liking the story!**

**Cara Tala: Hahaha I'm happy you're still liking the story! Ahh yeah, well Ella's a badass, and she sticks up for what she believes in. I feel like it's kinda Tony's personality to scream like a little girl if he gets caught off guard ;P Oh man, Ella/Hawkeye is totally OTP. Even though she hasn't seen him in forever. Thanks again for another brilliant review!**

**Theta-McBride: No, not Thor. Sorry bro XD Yeah this story's gonna be Ella/Hawkeye. I hope you'll still like my story even if it's not a Thor pairing!**

**X-PoisonCherry-X: Thank ya, lovely!**

**madison. : Thanks so much :D**

**Who cares711: Hahaha thanks man! No worries about not reviewing on previous chapters, thanks for joining the badass party!**

**Dalonega Noquisi: Mmhmmm I agree! Yummy Thor, but delicious Barton is yet to come!**

**XxLostInTheMusicxX: Aahaha I suppose that Loki might be better cause Thor has Jane, but I think Hawkeye is just so much.. idk sexier? loll sorry to all the Loki fans. Thanks!**

**ellaturner1234: Don't worry about review too much! I loovee when I get reviews on my work! For sure, Lovely! There's definitely gonna be a lot of Ella/Hawkeye, but it's coming a bit later cause I'm following movieverse.**

**: Oh, sorry man. I just love Hawkeye too much not to write about his sexiness XD**

**Lupa94: Thanks so much =D**

**CGKrows: Alright man, first off, thanks for the review! Second, don't worry about the badassery of Ella. This chapter should make you happy! Finally, everything will be fine, cause I'm a fan of happy endings. It'll take a bit of time though :)**

**Alya Kihaku: Hahaha thanks! I'm so glad you're liking the story!**

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**Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the party! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Ella... and her epic ninja moments ;D**

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After my run in with Stark, I went down to the workout center. It wasn't much, but there were several elliptical machines and treadmills. There was a weight station and a punching bag, which were both surrounded by burly looking agents.

As soon as I walked into the room, all eyes were on me. I usually wasn't self-conscious, but my every move was catalogued by handsome, muscular men.

I walked over to one of the treadmills. Stepping on, I set my pace to a light jog. After half an hour, I added more speed. Fifteen minutes later, my bangs were damp with sweat. My eyes burnt painfully as salty perspiration trickled from my brows. I wiped a hand across my face and slowed the machine down to a brisk walk.

Moments later, a couple of men approached the machines on either side of me. One man was tanned to such an extreme that he was tinged orange. The other had darkened skin. Both had dark brown hair and stocky builds. Thick necks disappeared into wide shoulders.

I smiled at them kindly and I continued my cool down. I took down my ponytail, relishing the feel of the cool wind my hair created as it laid on my flushed back.

I tried to ignore the men that began to encroach on my personal space. I noticed they both had wolfish grins upon their faces.

This wouldn't end well.

_Orange man: Approximately thirty-seven years of age. Italian features. Light band of skin on ring finger, left hand: married once before, going through a messy divorce and custody battle for his daughter. Short, cropped hair: Ex-Special Forces. Square of shoulders and form of fingers: Sniper. Served in Afghanistan. May be the reason for the divorce. Fine lines around eyes: married for ten...thirteen years. Most likely met the woman in school. Hired by S.H.I.E.L.D. most likely for his expert marksman abilities. Conclusion: Military man under high levels of stress. Time bomb._

I shook my head, trying to drown out the analyzing and deduction my brain completed on instinct.

_Dark skinned man: Approximately forty years of age. Born in South Africa, most likely Haiti. Clenched jaw: Also stressed. Necklace, partially hidden underneath shirt: Made by a young female, under the age of ten years old. Beads spell out the name Kari: Most likely daughter. Necklace worn over his heart: Keeps his daughter with him at work. Either she is still in Haiti, or deceased-_

"Well _hello_ pretty lady... You new around here?" The Italian man's gravelly tone broke off my analyzing.

"Yep." I smiled sweetly as I turned off the treadmill. _Well that was a short run_. I turned to walk away. When I walked out of the door, I distinctly heard the footsteps of the two men following me. I cursed internally.

"Hey! Wait up!" They jogged to catch up with me. I spun around quickly, causing them both to stop in their tracks.

"Alright, first of all, what would your soon to be ex-wife think if you were chasing after a co-worker? Wouldn't that just prove her right in the custody battle for your daughter? And you. Why don't you go phone your daughter and tell her how much you love her? It's difficult, for her to be alone back in Haiti without her dad. So _please_. Leave me alone."

Orange man gritted his perfectly white teeth.

"How do you know that? It's not even in the files!"

I sighed.

"I'm good at reading people, Sir. You wife still loves you. She's just wants you to be sorry and choose her and your daughter over the military."

Both men stood, shocked. The Italian man began walking towards me.

That's when I heard a peculiar ticking noise coming from outside the Helicarrier-

Suddenly, there was an explosion. I was thrown up against the wall. My head collided painfully against the cement as my body crumpled to the ground.

Everything was happening in slow motion. I couldn't hear anything. My ears were ringing. My heartbeat pounded. I rolled over. Smoke and flames outlined a nasty-looking gape in the ship.

The sudden wind from the height of the aircraft burst through the hole, whipping my hair around me.

I groaned. Shaking my head, I attempted to clear my vision. I hacked into my balled up fist. When I pulled my hand away, I noticed it was red. I glanced down. A pool of blood surrounded me.

_Cranial trauma, possible internal bleeding._

When I looked up, I saw that the two men had been knocked unconscious from the blast.

Blaring alarms sounded in my tender ears moments later, accompanied by red emergency lights. The illumination cast eerie shadows across the several bodies of agents who littered the hallways.

I swallowed the bile in my throat and stumbled down the hall until I was standing. Wind whipped my hair. My brow furrowed.

I grasped my side as I stumbled towards the hole in the ship. The large engine on the side of the craft was damaged heavily from the blast. Sparks exploded from exposed wires. Black spots flecked in my vision. Concentrating, I saw a dark shape against the light backdrop in the clear sky.

A jet.

I watched as it landed swiftly on the deck of the carrier.

Pushing through the pain, I ran down the hallway, taking a swift left. My arms pumped at my sides as I cut through the smoke. I took a flight of stairs up to the next level. Debris was scattered all across this section. I flipped over a section of the fallen staircase, grasping the handrail from the switchback and launching myself into the air. I landed in a crouch. My feet hit the grated floor with minimal contact before I was running again.

Moments later, I ran across a large hole in the wall. Exposing the hanger where several small jets were housed. That's when I heard a thundering roar. The floor shook. I stumbled into the hanger.

A large beast attempted to lift Thor's hammer off the ground. My eyes widened. Thor was there immediately, striking the beast down.

The green monster looked at me from its place on the floor. It's eyes were deep with rage. But they were familiar.

"Bruce?!" My voice came out less than a whisper.

How-?

The beast launched itself towards me, a fearsome snarl escaping it's maw. I stumbled back, shocked at the sheer size and wrath of the creature. Thor grabbed it's foot, smashing it to the ground.

"Priestess! Leave this place-!" His words were interrupted as the monster tossed the god into a small jet. His body made the aircraft bend completely in half from the impact of his body.

I sprinted out of the hanger and back into the staircase.

I had to skillfully dodge pieces debris falling all around me as I pulled myself up another floor. I was now on the floor of the controls. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were running all around the deck. No one noticed as I stumbled through the doorway. Behind me, I could hear several soldiers approaching the flight deck. Hiding against the opposite side of the doorway, I waited until the men entered the room.

Even though they were bearing armor of S.H.I.E.L.D., I could sense malevolence in their beings. They began shooting their weapons. Stalking silently behind them, I mercilessly snapped three of the enemy's necks before the group acknowledged my presence.

"WHAT THE HE-" I cut off one of the soldiers, snapping my foot out. Taking a roundhouse kick to the face, the man crumpled. He was unconscious before his body hit the ground.

I ducked, hearing the whistle of a knife slice through the air. A gun went off. I looked around in surprise. The last opponent went down. Glancing up, I watched as Director Fury nodded towards me.

Suddenly, another explosion rocked the deck. My body flew through the air.

I barreled into the backs of two agents who sat at the main computer. They were struggling to evacuate the lower floors.

My ears were ringing again. I struggled to stand. My chest heaved. I looked down. Was that- a pencil through my wrist?! The entire shaft of the writing utensil had pierced the entirety of my wrist when I tried to catch myself on the desk.

"-Ma'am? ...Ma'am?! Are you alright?" One of the agents I had landed on shook my shoulders gently. His attractive face was framed by cropped blonde hair. Angular features watched my form as my hands shook.

A cold sweat mixed with the blood on my brow. My body was going into shock.

"Hey I need help over here! She's going into shock!"

I tried to speak. My mouth just opened and closed pathetically before I gave up and shook my head. I brushed the man's hands off my body before stumbling away.

"Oh no you don't! You're about to pass out!" His arms circled my waist.

As I tried to escape, I heard a whistle through the air. I watched as a black arrow shot through the air and embedded itself in the computer next to me. Prongs exited the object; latching onto the USB drive.

All the computers went down.

The man holding me shouted in protest and released me.

"Engine One is now in shutdown!"

Then the aircraft was falling. I hung onto the station

Following the path of the arrow, I noticed a concealed figure in the shadow from above. My heart stuttered. My hands trembled as I ripped the pencil from my wrist. I threw the bloody object with deadly accuracy at the agent in the ventilation system. He hid behind the cement column next to him.

The glow of unnatural blue eyes glared at me through the darkness. Recognition filled them. I swallowed. Why did it feel as though my stomach was attempting to fly away?

Gunshots blasted past my shoulder, aiming at the Agent. The tainted man turned to run.

I spared a glance at Fury. His dark features were stony and determined. He nodded to me once before running off to deal with oncoming agents.

I jumped onto the desk, leaping over agents who were frantically searching for a solution to the invasion. Flipping over the last computers, I launched myself into the air, keeping my body as tight as possible. The flight through the air was interrupted by me crashing through the grate covering the ventilation shaft.

I dropped into another staircase. I watched the man's back as he walked away; his deadly bow at his side.

I followed him silently. Mere inches away, the Agent spun around, lashing out at my face, causing me to duck to the grated platform. Twisting my body, I flipped over to the next catwalk. My back flip was cut short as the man's bow caught me in the chest. Falling to a lower floor momentarily, I caught myself on a nearby pole. I swung myself back to the safety of the walkway. The twang of his bow snapped through the air. Snapping my hand out, I caught the arrow before it could embed itself in my heart. Cursing, I used the railings as steps to jump up to the original floor.

Snapping my arm out, I stuck the arrow in the exposed flesh of the agent's shoulder. He cried out in pain. He spun around quicker than I was anticipating. He backhanded me across the face, effectively throwing me back against the railing. Before I could dodge, his large hand latched around my throat.

"Now that was not nice." He clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"A-Agent Barton! It's me! Remember-?!"

His other hand covered my mouth. The restriction around my throat tightened until I became light headed.

"Oh I remember! You were a pain in my ass then, and you've gotten worse over time, I see," he stated, a creepy smile gracing his full lips.

Oh gods! He was about to kill me and I was focusing on his lips?!

The glowing blue of his eyes made my heart sink in my stomach. I recognized that power.

"The Tesseract? Is that what this is about?!"

I scratched at Barton's hand, trying to stay conscious.

"This is about more than you can understand, _Princess_. It's shown me things-"

"That's the power of _my _people."

My voice was cold with fury. So this is what Loki wanted with the Tesseract. _Knowledge. Power_.

He wistful tone ceased. I kicked out, shattering his kneecap. His yell of pain shattered through the tense air. His hand released from my neck, going to grasp his injured knee instead.

I punched forward. Barton stepped quickly to the side, snapping the outstretched arm at the elbow. My eyes rolled back in their sockets at the immense pain.

Heat spread through my body. Barton stalked forward. I was shaking with rage and pain. The Agent was now running towards me. Letting out a furious roar, I brought my hand down on his chest. Blue flames exploded from my hands. Barton was thrown back all the way to the other side of the platform. His body rolled several feet before coming to a stop against the wall. His head lolled to the side.

After my power subsided, the flames retreated back into my veins before disappearing entirely. Black spots of unconsciousness invaded my vision once more.

I was still trembling as I cradled my broken arm. I limped forward across the grated floor towards Barton's body. I leaned down, taking his pulse.

He was unconscious.

I wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder. I slid the arm that wasn't broken around his narrow waist, supporting his weight as I stumbled down the stairs. He was definitely heavier than he looked.

When I passed through the hall of the floor below, I saw an open door. The door of the room Fury had me held in. Propping a limp Barton against the wall around the corner, I hobbled back to the room.

Gazing through the doorway, I could see Loki at the control panel. The glass prison was nowhere to be seen.

"You're gonna lose."

Agent Coulson's voice shook slightly in pain. I glance towards him, seeing him cradling his side against one of the walls. Blood trickled from his mouth.

"Why?"

The god's voice was quiet as he responded to the agent.

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky." He paused before continuing sardonically, "Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction."

I snorted at the look of disbelief on Loki's face. This man was talking back to him, on the brink of death. When everything was obviously against him. Against us.

"Loki."

My voice was strong and rang with authority as I entered the room. The god's head whipped around. His eyes widened.

"Priestess?"

"This... this was _your_ doing?"

"I do not ask for your blessing or pardon. This was necessary."

"_Necessary_? It was _necessary_ to steal the Tesseract? To murder hundreds of innocents before their timelines were complete?"

My brow creased. How could such a insignificant god think he _deserved_ the power of an entire world?

Loki grinned at my silence. He turned back to Coulson.

"I don't think _I_-"

I watched as Coulson pulled the trigger of the monstrous sized firearm laying on his lap. The blast of the weapon made Loki fly through the air. He crashed through a glass window across the room.

I ran to Agent Coulson's side. He dropped the gun with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Huh. So that's what it does."

I knelt down beside him, brushing the sweat from his brow.

"You are valiant for a human. And kind-" I said tenderly, watching as the agent's eyes began to glass over.

I moved the weapon off of him, leaning his body against mine. His head lolled in my lap, grey eyes watching me speak to him.

"You... are s-so beautiful..."

His voice stuttered through his pain. I covered the hole in his chest with my hand, hot blood seeping through my fingers. My eyes filled with tears as I watched Coulson try to gasp for air.

"-You, Agent Coulson, are the kind of man who is worth saving. A man that is worth hundreds."

I held his tight to me. I knew what had to be done.

"Did you know that as a Guardian, I can take the place of the dying? I can give you my energy. A life for a life."

A solitary tear rolled down my cheek, falling on the wounded man beneath me. I watched the liquid sink into the material of his shirt. I gazed deep into his stormy grey eyes, watching them widen at my words. His head shook in protest. He was too weak to move away. To prevent me from helping.

Energy flowed through my body. The hand over his heart trembled. I placed my other hand on his cheek. I watched with a sad smile as the hole disappeared in his chest, flesh knitting back together. Moments later, only a small scar remained.

I swallowed my tears. I leaned my head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. It felt like a hole had been pierced through my heart. Blood seeped into my shirt. I cried out.

My breaths were shallow.

I heard people run into the room. Coulson moved out of my embrace. He turned to face me, placing both of his hands on my chest; attempting to stop the bleeding.

"Stay with me!"

"Breathe!" That was Fury's voice.

A shaky smile graced my lips.

"Give them... give them something to b-believe in... Director... Fury..."

My gasping breaths ceased.

The tears stopped.

The pain was over.

Then the darkness claimed me.

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**Oh my gosh guys, I actually cried writing this. D: This scene was so badass and emotional at the same time.. can't.. deal...**

**p.s. Holy shit! Over 100 reviews?! That's freaking awesome! Let's keep it going!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hahaha you guys are hilarious! To the few of you that reviewed and fav/followed, thank you! **

**The majority all you guys were either mad I killed my Oc, or telling me to update faster XP Here's an update to answer both of you guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers... but if someone would help me, I might be able to round up Hawkeye ;D **

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Tony and Steve were seated on opposite sides of the glass table. There was complete silence above the deck in the small area. The only noise that could be heard by the men was the distinct sighs of Director Fury as he attempted to formulate a speech. Steve had his muscular arms crossed across his chest. Agent Hill stood away from the group. Her usually light eyes were darkened with emotion. Beside her stood Agent Coulson.

He had taken a shower and donned a new suit.

But all the scrubbing in the world would not be able to clean away the feelings of sorrow and regret from his sunken heart.

Fury leaned against the table. Steve was the first to break the silence.

"Where is everyone? Dr. Banner? Thor?"

"Dr. Banner and Thor are gone. M.I.A. They fell to earth and could be anywhere right now. Agent Barton was located down the hall from the holding cell. We believe Ella was able to get rid of the spell Loki put over him. He's in the Medical Bay in stable condition."

Tony didn't look up from the ground, his mind far away. Steve's brow creased.

"Where's Ella?"

Complete silence fell over the group. Coulson's head fell into his hands.

"Where is she?!" Steve repeated the question.

Stark looked up, finally seeing the cloud of anguish that surrounded Coulson.

"Ella was killed in action," Fury stated.

Steve wiped a hand over his face, obviously not believing what was being said.

"What... what happened?"

Fury shook his head. The Director himself couldn't quite grasp what'd happened.

"I was dying," Phil Coulson spoke through the hands that covered his face.

The agent wiped his face tiredly before continuing.

"Loki tricked me... got behind me. He stabbed me through the heart. But Ella... she sat with me. It was so cold. I was dying but she held onto me. Spoke to me-"

Fury looked to his friend.

"What'd she say?"

"S-she told me that I was valiant. Worthy. Told me that as a Guardian, she had the power to switch places with the dying. 'A life for a life,' she'd told me."

"I tried to tell her not to bother. I was prepared to die if it gave the Avengers something to fight for; to save the world. But then I was healing. I watched her cry. I could tell... that she was scared. Even though she'd probably seen so many people die over time, she was scared at the end-"

Coulson choked on the last words. Agent Hill broke her rigid posture to rub his back momentarily. When he'd collected himself enough, he decided to finish the recount of events.

"Ella said that I was the kind of man worth saving-"

At those words, Tony's heart dropped. He remembered what she'd told him. Her haunting voice lilted through his mind.

_You're the kind of man, Mr. Stark, I would break the rules of time for, just to watch the light drain from your eyes as you died by my hand... _

Stark stood from the table, pausing for a moment. He departed soon after, leaving the remainder of the group in a stunned hush.

* * *

Clint was fighting through the pain in his head.

It felt as though thousands of microscopic needles where stabbing into his brain at once. He struggled against the straps that held him to what looked like a hospital gurney. His eyes squeezed shut as he groaned in pain.

"Clint. You're gonna be alright."

He knew that voice. Natasha. His partner.

"You know that?" He chuckled humorously, "Is that what you know?"

The agent's world cleared slightly. Romanoff stood, walking over to a small table and pouring a glass of water.

"You've gotta level out. It's gonna take time."

"You don't understand- have you ever had someone take your brain and play... pull you out? Stuff something else in?" Barton regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He watched Nat's back straighten; eyes staring off.

"-You know what it's like to be unmade?" The agent looked up at his partner. Her dark eyes glanced meaningfully down at him.

"You know that I do."

Clint leaned forward, breathing heavily. His brow creased.

"Why am I back? How'd you get him out?"

Natasha looked down at her friend.

"It wasn't me. It was that girl. Ella," the agent whispered, hoping he didn't ask about her. Fury had just informed her that the girl was K.I.A.

Clint's heart stuttered before picking up double time. Flashes of the gorgeous girl entered his damaged mind.

"Ella? The girl from all those years ago?"

"Mhmm."

"She's back? How'd she save me?"

"She... I don't know what she did. This is magic and legends. We weren't trained for this sort of thing."

"Can I... can I at least see her? To say thanks?"

Natasha hated how her heart clenched with jealousy even though the girl was dead.

"Yeah. She's... here in the medical bay, a couple units over. That's where... that's where they put all the bodies..." the agent trailed off sitting down on the bed beside Clint, undoing his straps.

"Ella's _dead_?" His voice was only a whisper. He sat up, looking at Romanoff.

"Did I? How many-?"

"Don't do that to yourself. This was Loki," Natasha stated forcefully.

"But I... never really got to speak with her..."

Clint's voice was wistful as he remember his encounter with the woman years ago. Looking up, he watched his friend's face pull into a grimace. Was that _jealousy_?

He sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Nat-"

The Russian bolted off the bed, as if she'd been burnt.

"I've been compromised. I send someone in to show you to the girl."

Agent Romanoff left, walking stiffly out of the room. Clint watched her go, mind far away.

* * *

"- Cause of death: Sustained penetrating injury to the heart. Four broken ribs causing internal bleeding, a broken arm, and contusion and deep lacerations to the head. To be honest, Agent, this is worse than what I've seen from victims of a tornado," the M.E. sighed deeply.

His weathered features stretched into a solemn smile. Agent Barton held the young girls hand who was laying on the slab. The elderly man stripped off his gloves and tossed them into the trash on his way out.

"She was a very pretty young lady. Gone before her time. I'm sorry for your loss, Laddie."

With those words, the Medical Examiner disappeared through the door.

Clint turned, seeing the man leave. His heart felt like it was residing in the pit of his intestines. He looked to the girl on the cold metal slab. She looked younger than twenty.

The woman whose hair was once luscious and almost alive as it swirled around her small waist was fanned around her on the cold metal. Her skin had a deathly grey hue to it. On her cheeks, marks in the encrusted dust marked the tears that fell moments before her death. Over her naked body was a small sheet to cover her modesty.

Clint rubbed at the dirt on her face with his thumbs; as if cleaning a bit of this perfect woman would bring her back.

Back to him...

_You knew her for less than two weeks. And that was over four years ago! Be reasonable, Barton. _

But in those days...

Clint felt as though he desired her more than he had anyone else. And it wasn't just her body he'd been attracted to. Her mind and sharp tongue kept him on his toes. She made him leap out of a building, over an impossible gap, just to chase after her. She used his obvious attraction to her as a diversion to escape.

Ella was brilliant.

"You're so beautiful. I wish I could've gotten to know you better," Clint whispered into the woman's ear, leaning down. Not knowing what was getting into him, the agent bent and kissed her cheek.

That's when he noticed something.

Her skin was still warm.

Alarmed, Clint shifted the hand that was holding hers, taking her pulse systematically.

Her heart was beating.

Rising and falling, her chest was definitely moving.

Agent Barton watched as the naked, battered flesh of the woman knitted itself back together. The hole in her heart quickly scarred over before disappearing entirely.

The ethereal glow that was so unique to the woman reignited in her body.

Clint ran an incredulous hand over his face. Blinking and squinting, even tilting his head couldn't make the impossible truth dissipate. What the hell was happening?

_-magic and legends. We weren't trained for this sort of thing..._

Nat had never been more right.

Suddenly, the girl sat up on the slab, gasping for air.

Her ear-piercing shriek filled the air.

Clint was taken so off guard, he lashed out, punching Ella right in the jaw.

The screeching stopped.

She looked up. Her abnormally bright eyes met the Agent's. Those eyes widened at the sight of clint who was now in a fighting stance, several meters away.

"Did you just _hit_ me?!"

Eyes narrowed dangerously.

Her mouth widened.

Agent Clint Barton was most certainly in trouble now.

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**Well there you go my lovelies! I hope everyone's happy now!**

**Now let's make the author happy! Send me your thoughts, ideas, and reviews! X)**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello my darlings! Hope everyone's doing fantastic today! Here in Canada we got over half a meter of snow in one day! Hahaha so I wish warm thoughts to everyone! **

**Here are some answers to last chapters reviews.**

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**Larien Elanesse: Hello my lovely! I'm so glad you're here to join the partayy! Haha you can review every chapter if you want. I would love to hear what you think :D hahaha you recognizing who they are with only a bit of detail shows just how fantastic you are and how much you love the avengers. I feel the same way about Nat and Barton. I wince every time Ella kicks someone's butt. Thanks again for reading sweetie! Joyeux Noël xD**

**An Echo In Time: I know! I feel that's the way he'd actually act if something jumped in front of him.**

**Guest: I'm glad! Kisses are so fairytale-esque, I couldn't resist.**

**Guest: He is indeed. Thanks!**

**Guest: Awwwe don't cry lovely! I felt the same though T_T**

**Ammaviel: I know! Hahaha yeah he certainly did punch her :P modern-day fairytale!**

**The Messenger: Did I? I wasn't gonna wake her up for another chapter, but I was scared someone would smack me xP I'm sorry it's not a Thor pairing, but I couldn't resist Hawkeye any longer.**

**Who cares711: Thank you! I don't know why so many people don't save Coulson. I know it follows movieverse, but he's such an awesome character, I had to save him. Yes, I didn't kill her off. You are correct :p lol**

**Lupa94: Mmmhmm... that's a fantastic idea.. is it aiight if I use that xP I've had writers block for a while now!**

**madisongjohnson : Thanks hon! Sorry for not spelling your name correct. Fanfic keeps erasing the punctuation :(**

**XxLostInTheMusicxX: Yes ma'am!**

**Dalonega Noquisi: Thanks so much! Hahaha it's gonna be interesting. Indeed ;)**

**Cara Tala: Hahaha yes! You're gonna have to read to find out xP I definitely cried when I wrote Coulson dying :( **

**Alya Kihaku: No worries! Hahaha thanks :D**

**daeb: Thank you!**

**Theta-McBride: Indeed! I wonder how he's gonna weasel himself outta this one ;P Yes that was one of my reasons for writing this plotline. I couldn't see Phil die if he didn't absolutely have to. Hahaha sorry for the suspense. Thanks for another review!**

**w8ing4rain: Yes! Haha thanks for the review!**

* * *

**On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I've been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. for the attempted kidnapping of Agent Clint Barton. They were kind enough to allow me to post this chapter...**

* * *

I was terrified of the darkness.

As my soul separated from its battered shell of a body, I was forced to struggle through the black that surrounded me.

It felt like the Prison of Time.

The Prison was something parents told naughty children to get them to fall asleep at night. Parents said it wasn't actually real. But all of Lesengard knew the truth; knew what really happened to the outspoken individuals and vibrant speakers of the Guardians when they disappeared. The High Council would never take just one. They snatched entire families. Because if there is one who is tainted, there are others. Spreading like a cancer to healthy tissue. The Council believed the only way to diminish the anarchy and free thinkers, was to throw the offenders into the Prison of Time; never to be seen or heard from again.

All who were decreed to be executed by the Prison begged for a quick death.

Some, the High Council took pity on. Those who had enough money to sway the Council's final decision. Others... were not as... fortunate.

Those with the finances were decapitated; their broken and unfeeling bodies then thrown into the Prison of Time. The executions were daily. Each setting of the three suns signified the end of another life.

Taking place in the Temple of the Guardians, the King of Lesengard himself wielding the axe.

My father.

His golden robes would have flecks of blood on them from his days work when he arrived home. The Queen and my sister would embrace him as he exited his chariot, mixing the blood onto their clothes. I was able to avoid him, always ran up the stairs with the maids who were also too frightened to face the King.

The murderer of his own kind.

My father's father chose at the beginning of time for the executions to take place in the Temple rather than his palace. He disliked the feel of blood on the polished marble under his feet.

Also, the King enjoyed frightening the remaining populace of Lesengard. Forced daily to witness the killings, billions of people filled the town square. All watching the heads of the Guardians roll down the stone stairs from the Temple; rivers of blood trailing after. The families of the dead were awarded the heads of the traitors to take back to their homes. Their tears mixing with the blood of their loved ones.

No one spoke of the killings. For thousands of years, even before I was alive, the death sentence had been in place.

Lesengard was terrified of the King. My _Father._

Had my sins finally caught up with me? Had the High Council realized I was no longer pure, no longer with the Order?

No...

I remembered. Agent Coulson.

He was valiant; deserving to reach the end of his timeline.

Even knowing he only had moments left to live, he continued to stand up for what was right. Those were the kind of men that should live long, healthy lives. Unlike myself.

I... I was broken, long ago. I tried not to think of it.

The black embraced me so tight, I could no longer feel my own heart beating.

_That's because you're dead._

It was cold, I'd give death that.

Cold, and terrifying, and dark.

My soul shivered.

Then I heard a voice.

"You're so beautiful. I wish I could've gotten to know you better."

It sounded as if it was from an angel, bringing me back to the land of the living.

Suddenly, my soul felt like it collided with a train.

I screamed. Light burnt my sensitive eyes.

I launched into a sitting position.

Then something strong barreled into my jaw.

The sound from my throat cut short.

"Did you just _hit_ me?" My voice croaked out.

I looked over to see a handsome man in his mid to late thirties in a fighting stance. His strong jaw was lined with a delicious amount of stubble that introduced full lips. His blonde hair was ruffled and blue eyes were wide with shock. Our gazes locked and I watched his pupils dilate.

Agent Barton.

"Did you. Just...hit..me?" I repeated, breaking our gaze.

I reached up to massage my jaw, groaning at the new pain.

That's when I looked up. The agent's eyes were angled slightly downward, a bright flush travelling up his neck.

I followed his eyes.

"WHY THE HELL AM I NAKED-?!"

My entire upper half was bare to the world, the sheet that'd been covering me pooled around my waist.

Before I could hide behind the table and feel incredibly sad and embarrassed, Agent Barton snapped out of his trance. Turning around to give me privacy, he stripped off his tight black t-shirt.

I watched him tug the material over his head. The sight of his muscled back made me moan involuntarily. I tried to stifle the noise with my hand, but it was too late.

The Agent let out a shaky breath at the sound and tossed me the shirt over his head, his back still turned. I caught it. Swallowing the nerves that had suddenly crept over me, I tugged on the soft material. Standing, I wrapped the sheet around my lower half so I had an awkward looking toga-style skirt. It would have to do.

"Done." I whispered.

I gulped as Barton turned to face me. I watched his eyes travel up and down my body, focusing on my now clothed breasts. The nipples pebbled noticeably through the shirt from the chilled morgue air. I crossed my arms, forcing him to look up at me.

I bit my lip, the blush that burned across my face in full force.

Blue eyes met mine. The pupils were so dilated, there was almost no iris showing.

"S-sorry about t-that. And for punching you in the face. And for the... naked thing-" Barton stuttered.

I couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked when he was flustered. The flush spread up his neck, gracing his sculpted cheekbones, finally disappearing into his hairline.

I coughed into my fist before speaking.

"Apology accepted, Agent Barton. I guess since you are half naked at the present moment, we are now even."

A small smile graced his lips.

"You can call me Clint, ma'am." He stuck out his hand for me to shake.

I grinned back at him.

"Then please call me Ella, _Clint_." The name felt strange on my tongue. He was always Agent Barton to me. Now he had a first name.

"Everyone has the same reaction. They don't think I look like a Clint." The mirth in his voice made my stomach tremble.

"I can see that... I can get used to it, though." My grin morphed into a smirk as Barton cocked his head to the side.

"Hmmm so I gather if you're getting used to it, we might have to hang out more often."

"I guess so."

"I'd like that."

"I bet you would."

"Wouldn't you?"

"I suppose..."

"That's not what your _moan_ told me when you saw me shirtless."

"Then what _did_ it say?"

"You want me."

I watched him stalk towards me. I stumbled back, shaking my head, until he had me pinned against the metal slab.

"Haven't you had a busy day?"

My protests were cut short when Clint lifted me onto the metal surface. I let out a yelp. The gorgeous agent placed his hands on the slab, created a muscled cage around me. He leaned forward, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at me.

"From what I can remember, the last time we were in this kind of position, you kicked me in a very uncomfortable place."

His hot breath teased my lips. It tasted of musk and mint. Altogether manly.

"I'll do it again if you don't step back, Agent."

_What?! Why the hell are you fighting him! He's the definition of sexiness. Just look at that muscle!_

Barton remained silent. My stomach flopped. The next thing I knew, he squared his jaw and moved back.

_No! Don't move away!_

You just told him to!

_I wasn't serious..._

Gods... I was arguing with myself now.

Clint's expression was stony; void of all emotion.

"Fine. I expect you will be able to find your way back to your room?"

His voice inflections hinted that it was a question, but with a stiff nod, Clint spun on the toe of his shoe and walked from the morgue. I unrepentantly watched the ropes of tight muscle in his shoulders down to the defined dimples in his lower back.

My brow creased. What just happened? One second he was sex on legs and the next... nothing.

I mulled it over in my mind as I walked out, shuffling in the toga-skirt sheet.

A better question crossed my mind as I hobbled back to my room.

Why the hell am I still alive?

* * *

**Mmmmmmm Barton time!**

**Liked it? Hated it? Let me know!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Hello my lovelies! Here comes another chapter! I'd appreciate if you guys would leave some love for the fabulous ****Larien Elanesse****. She's gonna be Beta-ing this epicness! **

**Oh my gosh, the story's at 150 reviews! In the words of the 9th Doctor from the show Doctor Who, "You are fantastic!" T_T **

**Disclaimer: Still incarcerated at an unknown S.H.I.E.L.D. facility for trying to kidnap Clint Barton. D:**

* * *

Clint found his partner in the room he woke up in. She was seated on a small stool. Her head was in her hands, fingers splayed, encasing her forehead.

He'd never seen her this way.

"Natasha..." he sighed, walking into the room. Her head snapped up, scarlet waves framing her face. As soon as she saw him, her features evened out, becoming unfeeling and cold.

"What do you want Clint?" Her lips pursed slightly; the only way to tell that she was still frustrated. Then she realized the lack of clothes he was wearing.

"What happened to your shirt." The tone in the assassin's voice was nowhere near caring.

Almost as if the less emotion she put in, the more likely that Clint would forget the declaration of her feelings less than an hour prior.

Clint crossed over to the bathroom, slipping on another black shirt and vest Natasha had brought for him. He didn't bother to turn around to face Nat. He knew she had one eyebrow raised judgmentally.

The agent turned the faucet of the sink. Watching water fill the basin, he thought of how Ella was still alive. It was strange, but now he was the only one who knew that she'd come back. Clint splashed some water on his face, enjoying the cool texture contrasting with his flushed skin.

Suddenly, the door slid open at the presence of another individual.

"Time to go."

"Go where?"

"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"

Clint walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on one of the small towels.

"I can," he supplied.

He watched as Capitan America turned to face Nat. They had a silent conversation for a moment, indicating that Barton was back on their side.

"Have you got a suit?"

"Yeah."

"Then suit up."

Nodding his head, Steve walked from the room, leaving two incredibly impressed assassins in his wake.

The Avengers had their leader.

* * *

After a couple hours, a shower and a change of clothing, I was staring at the dreary wallpaper of my room. There weren't even ugly flowers to keep me company, only a clinical white encompassing both the walls and furniture.

I couldn't help but think of Clint.

The rough timbre of his voice. The emotion he spoke with. His muscles...

_Don't go there, Ella. _

How had he brought me back?

I attempted to rifle through my memories, imagining what could've possibly happened.

Wait...

Did he kiss my cheek? I remember feeling the pressure...Then my heart rate rocketed.

No.

NO!

He didn't...

Oh GODS!

No. No. NO!

Genetic resonance transfer. A _genetic resonance transfer!_

My brain spiraled as I lurched to a standing position, sprinting to the bathroom. Emptying the contents of my stomach in the toilet, I crumpled to the tile floor. Leaning my head upon the cool porcelain rim, I hyperventilated. Several long minutes later, I lashed out, punching a hole through the drywall of the bathroom that'd just been completed. I cried out as pain blossomed across my knuckles from the split skin. The first real pain I'd ever experienced.

"How could he... how _could _he do this?"

I... was half human.

My head throbbed with the enormity of the situation as I steeled my expression.

I wiped the bloody knuckles off on my baggy white v-neck and stood. My black leggings were tight, making me feel even more strangled. Looking in the mirror, I saw the same reflection as ever. My hair was still slightly damp. I spun it into a tight bun, pulling it away from my face.

_But he's killed me!_

When I took the place of Agent Coulson, I died. Flat out, ready to be put in the ground kind of dead. But since the heart of a Lesengardian is made from the same material as the Tesseract, and the residual energy from the source was still within Barton when he kissed me; therefore starting my heart. But when he did so, his own genetic code became confused and latched onto mine. My Lesengardian heritage attempted to discard the human virus, but it latched on like a cancer, now embedded deep in my genes.

I breathed out, clutching my chest. My heart felt tight in my body. As if it were a foreign body.

_How do humans do this? It's so... uncomfortable..._

I swallowed as I sprinted from my room.

Looking all around, I could see agents milling throughout the hallway.

This was it. The final battle with the enemy. The Avengers were probably deployed already.

Hugging the shadows, I ran down the hall, unseen to those around me.

_I am a ghost. The unknown soldier._

My limbs adapted as I leaped from one floor to another. My boots were light against the grated floor, but I could tell my inhuman movements would never be the same.

Finally reaching the hanger, I watched as a jet took off. The aircraft was the same as the one taken to Stuttgart in the first interaction with Loki.

They'd left without me.

_They're fighting for you. Because of you. _

The thought warmed my heart until I remembered-

Agent Clint Barton knew I was alive.

That little _shit_. He left without me!

I growled in frustration.

On the back wall of the hanger, there were various guns and knives. Clenching my jaw, I saw something else.

A polished black bow with a large quiver of arrows. A smile pulled at the corner of my lips.

Picking the bow up, I weighed it in my hands. It wasn't what I was used to, but I could adjust.

First, I slipped on a black leather holster. After, I slung the bow across my body and shouldered the quiver. Snatching several knives from the wall, I stored them in the holster. Finally, I grabbed two handguns and several magazines and stored them in the holster and in the waistband of my leggings.

Feeling adequately prepared, I approached a small jet, easily sliding from the shadows.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Spinning, I unsheathed one of the knives and pressed the blade against the person's throat.

The engineer of the craft's eyes went wide when he saw me.

"You're not authorized to be in here either... aren't you supposed to be dead?"

I cut him off by pressing the steel harder.

"I've had an incredibly unpleasant day. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm feeling the urge to kill some people. Would you like to be the first?"

A dimple formed between his brows as he scowled at me. Shaking his head slightly, not wanting to slice his throat any further, he directed me to the cockpit of the craft. I sheathed the blade and followed. After I was seated and prepared a quick systems check, the engineer turned to flee. I snatched the collar of his shirt, preventing him from leaving momentarily.

"The others; where did they go?"

"The Avengers?" he gulped.

I nodded without looking up at him, reading the manual for the jet's control panel. I sighed impatiently.

"They w-went to Stark tower."

I rolled my eyes, finally glancing up at him.

"It's- um- in New York. Midtown Manhattan."

I nodded and let the man go, satisfied with the answer. He bolted off the jet. I immediately closed the hatch.

_Oh, Fury's not going to be amused. I hope the kid's not a snitch._

The systems check was interesting. I wasn't used to piloting Midgardian technology, but it was significantly more advanced than I would've suspected.

Just as I was about exited the hanger, I heard the pounding footsteps of combat boots on the tile floor.

I growled. I looked out the window to see a furious Fury approaching.

I could've sworn steam was exiting his ears.

"You just _had_ to go tell mommy now didn't you?" I scoffed under my breath. I threw the manual in the copilot chair and started the ignition. The Director was now running full tilt towards the jet.

I flew the aircraft from the the hanger with seconds left to spare.

_Director Fury was most certainly not amused. _

I smirked.

_Now is the time for war._

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**D'oh snap! Alright next chapter's the final battle!**

**If there's anything you really wanna see, let me know =D**

**(I was totally thinking of Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil when I wrote this chapter. loll) **


	20. Chapter 19

**Alright, I'm warning you now, this chapter's pretty badass. Just FYI. loll**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers script, but I own Ella. And I'm happy with that ;)**

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I made my descent, the jet parting through the layer of high clouds. That's when I saw it.

The portal.

Loki, harnessing the inter-dimensional power of the Tesseract, had created a portal above Manhattan.

_The power of Lesengard, used for childish tribulation. _It was sickening.

The Chitauri tumbled from the portal on their crude flying crafts. Their grotesque features were concealed by gold plated armor. Sickly yellow eyes weren't seen , but felt. Their venomous gazes turned almost gleeful at the sight below.

Civilians ran in all directions. Their screams made my ears ring as I set the jet down in a vacated back ally. Newspapers and clouds of dust were kicked high into the air from the power of the aircraft.

I quickly powered down the jet and unlatched the seatbelt. I was thankful for the restriction of the harness. I had pushed the craft to its utmost speed so that I would be able to aid in the war.

I ran to the back hatch and took one last deep breath of the pure air. Being in war long ago, I knew how much sweet oxygen was valued against the stench of burning flesh. Steeling my nerves, I opened the hatch. Almost immediately, the scent of death permeated my senses. It was heavy on the air. Gauging where I was, I was obviously nowhere near the fight. Pulling my hair into a severe bun on the top of my head, I looked up. My mouth twitched. High above, apartment buildings towered.

Buildings that were easy to scale.

Buildings that were high enough to scope out a definitive location.

I leaped into the air and latched onto the ladder of the fire escape on the building to the left. I flipped my body up to the stairs. I took the grated stairs three at a time. Several stories high, the stairs ceased. Cursing under my breath, I glanced fleetingly at my surroundings.

_Window ledge. Three meters. _

_Adjacent building. Ten meters. _

I swore once more before launching myself up to the window. My muscles burned as I scaled the brick wall of the building until I reached the roof.

Once there, I saw that I was far from the battle. Squaring my shoulders, I stepped back on the rooftop, using as much room as possible for the near impossible jump that was about to take place. I closed my eyes. Centered myself.

And then I was running.

I pumped my legs as fast as they could go. My black boots found purchase on the loose gravel. Small stones flew into the air, as if parting my way. The jarring impact of the final step on the ledge of the roof sent shockwaves through my legs.

That was soon forgotten as empty air was the only blanket surrounding me. Streamlining my body, I cut through the air almost gracefully. Soon enough, I was on the next rooftop, rolling onto the rooftop to ease the impact.

Gravel bit and embedded into my arms and back at the surface of the skin.

Continuing the momentum, I flipped and tumble from building to building. I used the tops as if they were stepping stones of a path to the battlefield.

When I was close enough, I scoped out three Chitauri snipers on one of the roofs. They were animatedly aiming at what seemed to be an important target. I approached silently, my boots not crunching on the gravel, barley skimming the ground. With detached precision, I snapped one of the "alien's" necks. The second let out a roar and launched at me. I whipped my bow off from across my body, taking the creature's head off with the force of my blow. It's black blood splattered on my white shirt, covering it in the arterial spray. The head rolled off the side of the building, falling the many stories to the street below. The remainder of the Chitauri's body slumped to the ground, blood pooling steadily. The tar-like substance coated the loose gravel. Any human would've been sick at the sight of the calculated killings.

I grabbed the handgun from the holster strapped to my body. As the third alien raced towards me, I released the safety on the gun and pulled the trigger.

The Chitauri went flying over the side of the building. Taking a running start, I jumped after it.

My body rocketed to the ground; gravity finally catching up with me. Several tendrils of white-blonde hair fell from its bun and whipped around my face. I hit the ground with a heavier impact than I would've liked, rolling across the pavement. Instead of remaining in a crouch low to the ground, I flipped into a standing position.

Several feet behind me, the third Chitauri cried out in pain and began crawling pitifully across the street. Attempting to escape my calculated wrath.

I stalked after it. When it saw me, its eyes went wide. I pointed my gun and shot it twice in the forehead.

As I watched the light die in its eyes, a deafening roar shook the ground.

My head whipped up. A monster was crossing through the portal. My eyes went wide. My heart pounded.

_Leviathan._

Leviathans. Gigantic, horrid beasts, enslaved by the Chitauri. They were used during the invasion of land as warships, and weapons of greater destruction. It passed several buildings for the deployment of the ground crew of Chitauri soldiers. Moments later, I watched as the Leviathan glided through the air, passing over a sculpture at the end of the street.

Several individuals ducked, not used to such beasts.

Individuals that shared striking resemblance to part of the Avengers ensemble.

I growled. Running past flipped cars and explosions, I closed the distance between us. Just as I jumped onto a car, a passing Chitauri warrior shot it, causing it to blow up. I went flying across the street, high in the air. I flipped my body to re-align my direction. As my feet came in contact with the pavement, I commenced my sprint, undeterred.

I could make out Thor, Capitan America and Agents Romanoff and... Barton.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor stated.

"Yeah? Get in line," Clint barked.

Capitan America raised a gloved hand. "Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us-"

I stopped several feet away. My chest rose and fell lightly, my body used to the art of war.

"What the hell?" Natasha hissed under her breath, seeing me over Steve's shoulder. Her eyes weren't wide, but hardened.

The other members turned around. Various signals of disbelief covered their faces. Clint's expression was frigid before turning away. I tried not to let it bother me. I glanced over his bulging arms and prominent veins as he fiddled with his arrows. I gulped before wiping all expression from my face.

Steve's jaw dropped. "You're... you _were_ dead!"

I sighed tiredly and started checking the magazine in my handgun thoroughly.

"I've been told that a lot today. Just forget about it. We have other issues to solve," I uttered in a monotone.

Thor's face morphed from despair to utmost joy. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into an unbelievably tight hug. He spun me around several times, my feet flying off the ground. I groaned in protest. Finally letting me down, he pulled away enough to reveal his grin.

"The sun shines again at the sight of your beauty, Princess. Welcome to the war."

A smile threatened to tug at my lips.

In my peripheral vision, I watched Clint's brow crease as he deftly counted his remaining arrows.

Coming from behind us, I could hear an old motor putter down the street towards us. Unraveling myself from Thor, I looked back.

_Bruce!_

I fought to keep a smile off my face.

_He lied to you, Ella. _

Not exactly. If you don't give out the information that you're a green rage monster to begin with, that's not lying. More like... editing.

_Either way, he didn't trust you enough to tell his secrets. _

I kept secrets from him!

_True..._

Bravo self, for winning an internal conversation.

Bruce shut off the beast of a motorcycle and stepped off. He propped the machine against a fallen car, knowing the rusted kickstand wouldn't be able to withstand the weight. He had also donned a new grey button down and black slacks.

The group advanced forward to greet him. I leaned up against an abandoned taxi, standing my ground. I crossed my arms across my chest, enjoying the cool bite of steel my knives granted against the heat. A small comfort.

"So... this all seems," he shrugged, spreading his arms wide. "Horrible," he finished lamely. I snorted in response. His soft eyes sifted through the group before finding me, still several feet away.

"I've seen worse." Romanoff stated blandly, looking Bruce over. From their body language, I could tell they both liked what they saw.

What that hell was _that_ about?!

My back went ramrod straight.

"Sorry."

"No... we could use a little worse."

He nodded almost imperceptibly, looking the redhead up and down.

Steve spoke into an earpiece. Moments later, a small red and gold aircraft that looked like Iron Man rounded the corner. Following close behind, was the beast. It's enormous body clipped the side of a building, shattering glass, causing it to rain to the ground below.

"Leviathan," I hissed.

Clint whirled around. "You know what it is?"

And _NOW_ you're talking to me? As soon as I know the name of the thing that's going to kill us all?!

I nodded, jaw clenched. As a Guardian, I was able to imprison many of the monsters.

_But you're not what you used to be. _

"I require energy of the Tesseract." My lilting voice caused heads to snap towards me.

Bruce's brow furrowed. "I'm doing this Ella. Not you."

I shook my head, growling at his insolence. Time for Plan B.

"Agent Barton, I require your services."

Clint looked back at me, alarmed. He jogged over.

"Now isn't the time, Ella. That thing's getting closer."

"Indeed. Kiss me."

He looked at me as if I had just sprouted five heads and a furry tail.

"The residual energy of the Tesseract is floating through your body. It's not harmful to you anymore, because the connection was broken. It'll be attracted to my power because it's the same; the energy of Lesengard. Now kiss me!"

When he didn't move, I stepped onto the tips of my toes and captured his lips with mine. Power instantly flooded my mind and body. That coupled with the feel of his chapped lips on mine caused my heart rate to skyrocket.

The perfect recipe for an Incident.

Just as his arms snaked around my lower back, I stepped back, hands shaking.

"Bruce! I need you to toss me!"

"What?!" he replied, commencing his walk towards the Leviathan. He glanced back at me.

"Toss. Me. NOW!"

"I... NO! I can't do that!" the Doctor choked out.

Clint tried to wrap his fingers around my wrist. "I... can't let you go again. I'm not going to lose you."

My heart pounded. I swallowed, trying to contain the new power within me.

"You won't. I'll see you later."

He protested as I bolted around him, faking one direction then going the other.

"Now might be a really good time for you to get angry," Capitan America stated. Bruce's lips twitched with mirth.

"That's my secret, Capitan. I'm always angry."

I launched myself over the other Avengers just as Bruce became the Hulk. One moment I was flipping over the ensemble and then, I was in large, green hands. He threw me at the Leviathan with seconds to spare.

The excess adrenaline forced the power of the Tesseract to burst through my body. Flames of blue energy hurtled at the Leviathan. I landed on top of the beast's head, forcing the flames to overload the machinery and mechanisms within it.

It let out an unhealthy roar before it nose-dived into the ground. It skidded over the pavement several feet, forcing the Avengers to jump out of the way. Finally it came to shuddering stop. I watched the beast's eyes drain of life before I jumped off, landing in a crouch on the now distorted cement.

I lifted my head at the sound of a slow clap. Iron Man looked around at his fellow Avengers. They returned the gaze skeptically.

"Seriously? I'm the only one who found that just _slightly _impressive?"

His comment was met with silence.

"Fine-"

He was interrupted by Chitauri battle cries. It was eerie in its lack of uniformity. My skin crawled.

I walked towards the group, placing my back against theirs. We turned together as one, attempting to imagine which direction we should tackle first.

Suddenly, more Leviathan were beginning to enter through the portal.

"Guys..?" Agent Romanoff's voice held the fear we were all feeling inside. If it took that much effort to bring one down, how would we be able to take down hundreds?

"Call it, Capitan." Stark's voice spoke through his robotic suit of armor.

"Alright. Now, until we can close that portal our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Ella, go with him. Stark, you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it around or you turn it to ash," Capitan America ordered.

"Can you give me... um- us, a lift?" Clint asked Stark.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas."

I snorted, but tried and fail to cover it with a cough. Barton whipped his head, glaring petulantly at me before Stark rocketed us to the top of one of the buildings. He let us down and saluted with two fingers.

"Good luck, lovebirds."

Even though the statement was embarrassing and incredibly obnoxious, both Clint and I responded back, performing well trained salutes. Iron Man blasted off to begin his orders.

Almost immediately, I took the bow off my body and took up a sniper position behind a low spire.

"Do you even know how to use a bow?"

"Shut up and stick to your post, Barton," I bit out venomously.

I tried to ignore Agent Barton's presence as he moved to the other side of the rooftop.

"- and Hulk? Smash."

The last statement from Steve reached my sensitive ears. The Hulk grinned dangerously before launching himself up the side of the building, starting his rampage on the Chitauri forces. I couldn't help but smile at the creature's childlike mind.

Soon after, many Chitauri passed the roof. I whipped arrows rapidly from the quiver, shooting them so they blurred through the air. I kept the bowstring tight against the side of my face, the shaft of the arrow brushing my cheek. Each enemy shot received an arrow between the eyes. I sometimes shot two arrows at once, taking out multiple targets as they flew past.

"Stark, you've got a lot of strays stuck on your tail." I heard Clint say from the opposite corner.

He paused before answering.

"Well, they can't bank worth a damn. Find a tight corner." Without looking, the agent shot a passing Chitauri, it's aircraft blowing up.

He's good. _Very_ good.

I watched his arms strain under the strength of the bowstring. The muscles flexed as he pulled back, aimed, and released the arrows. Through his black uniform, I could see his chest rise and fall distinctly so that he could aim more effectively.

_This is the most comfortable I've ever seen him. _

"Nat! What are you doing?!"

Seconds Later, he programmed one of his arrows, shooting it at Loki as he passed. I watched as the god of mischief caught it in his hand, looking back at Clint as if saying, "That's all you got? Really?"

Then it blew up, taking Loki and his craft down to Stark Tower.

When I had three arrows left, I turned towards my knives. Throwing them with lighting speed and accuracy, the Chitauri didn't stand a chance. I took several down with one dagger, their aircrafts exploding when they came into contact with one another.

I looked over at Clint. His quiver was out of arrows and he was taking on the enemy with only his bow as a weapon.

"Barton!"

"I'm kind of busy here!"

I whipped out my gun and shot all the Chitauri surrounding him. His eyes went wide when I threw him the last three of my arrows.

"Merry Christmas."

He flashed a charming grin at me and slipped two into his quiver, using one to take down an oncoming enemy.

"And a happy new year!"

When the last Chitauri were dispatched, we looked at each other. His blue eyes were alight with the flame of battle. Heat spread through my body. He broke the stare, gazing at something that was coming from behind me. I tried to turn around, but he rushed forward and linked his fingers with mine. The heat of his large hand engulfed mine and spread flames through my body. The rough calluses on his fingertips made the desire I felt for him skyrocket.

"Best not to look sometimes. Trust me."

We rushed to the edge of the building. Clint reached back for another arrow, but he'd used the last one moments before.

"I give you the last of my arrows and you still manage to run out. Is this a man thing... or just a Clint thing."

He glared at me before reaching down to pull an arrow out of a carcass of one of the Chitauri.

"It's a Hawkeye thing. Now hang on tight." He swung me over his shoulder with ease and I held on for dear life. He started running full tilt at the edge of the roof. For a millisecond, I questioned his sanity. That was until I heard the sound of the roof exploding behind us.

Then we were falling through the air. "Hawkeye" twisted us midair, programmed the final arrow, and shot it at the building faster than I could blink.

Metal prongs latched into the brick wall. Clint's muscles strained. He grunted in pain.

Then there was glass everywhere. He took the most impact of the window, but I took the brunt of the fall. I cried out as Clint fell on top of me, his body heavier than I remembered. We rolled several feet. I skidded to a stop, my face pressed against the carpet floor. I could hear Hawkeye groaning, so I wasn't too worried about him not breathing. I found it difficult for air to enter and vacate my lungs. I winced and gurgled as blood filled my mouth.

_Shattered rib. Minor contusions. _

Everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

Clint's face appeared above me at the sounds I was making.

"Ella? Ella, you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Then why did you ask?"

"You're obviously in pain."

"You should join forces with Captain America, cause your new nickname is Capitan Obvious."

Barton groaned and flopped onto his back beside me, giving up.

After a couple of minutes of pained wheezing he broke the silence.

"We should find the others."

I raised an eyebrow lazily. Even though I knew he wouldn't see it, it made me feel better.

"Does it _look_ like I'll be getting up soon?" I growled. Coughing, I turned my head to the side. Blood splattered on the carpet, seeping in and spreading across the fibers.

Clint slowly stood, using a nearby desk to haul himself up. Then he turned to me, offering his hand again.

"Alright, time to go. I'm not leaving you here."

"The last time I accepted that hand, you jumped us off a roof. I got a broken rib."

"_- I got a broken rib_," he mimicked in a high pitched voice before lifting me carefully into his arms, carrying me bridal-style. My side complained, but the adrenaline running through my body began to drown the pain. Clint smiled down at me before walking us over to the elevator. He pressed the call button. We waited in silence for the elevator to arrive. When it came, Barton walked us in and pressed the ground floor button and tapped the button to close the doors multiple times. I grasped his impatient hand, pulling it away from the buttons.

Slowly, he linked our fingers together. His blue eyes smouldered my bright grey.

I smiled.

* * *

**There we go! Avengers timeline pretty much done! **

**How'd you guys like it? **


	21. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! This chapter has been Beta-d by Larien Elanesse. Hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I've changed the rating to M because of future lemons, violence and swearing.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Ella and Oc plotlines**

* * *

The entire elevator ride, I grumbled.

"Come on, man. We're both injured. Carrying me like we're in the middle of romantic comedy isn't going to help my broken ribs or your dislocated shoulder."

He smirked down at me before meeting my heated gaze. His lips pulled into a line. Finally the agent sighed and looked skyward, as if begging for help.

"You're the most stubborn person I've ever met."

I snorted.

"That's what you like about me."

"You wish."

"Yeah..."

"What?" His head snapped down to look at me. I barely escaped him smashing his skull against mine. I watched the blaring red numbers of our descent.

..78...

...77...

...76...

I could feel his wide eyes burning into the top of my head.

My blush was even more of a threat. It spread over my entire face and neck.

I hadn't meant to say that. I bit my lip.

_Shut up, Ella. You've been thinking about the man for years_. _When you were in India, how many times did you think of him_?

Every day.

_Every night. Let's state the facts here. _

Well let's be realistic. I was in India for several years, just after I'd escaped the custody of this man.

_This well-built, compassionate, gorgeous, man_...

Shut up-

Agent Barton's face swooped down, lips locking with mine. I let out a strangled gasp at the feel of his luscious lips against mine. Using my state of surprise to his advantage, he quickly deepened the kiss. His tongue prodded my bottom lip before slipping into my mouth.

His tongue did strange things to my body. Heat pooled in my lower belly. I moaned. I slipped out of his arms, not breaking the connection. My feet were back on the ground, my boots touching the shining golden marble tile.

Barton's hands cupped the back of my neck. I shivered. I deepened the kiss and trailed my hands so they grazed through his short hair. A low vibration started deep in his chest. He sounded as if I had just unleashed a wild animal from within.

His lips ravaged mine, making me have to pull away. My chest heaved in the need of air.

_This man has good lungs_.

His lips traveled down the column of my neck, settling above my right clavicle.

_How could his lips feel this good... Oh_!

I moaned as Clint nipped my skin tauntingly. I could feel his lips pull into a smile.

"Did I say that out loud?"

The chuckle he emitted reverberated through his body and made my knees go weak.

I felt him nod.

Just as I was about to pull his lips back to mine, the elevator stopped. The doors slid opened, revealing the foyer of the office.

Clint tucked his head into the crook of my neck and groaned. It was my turn to chuckle.

"Hey, it's alright. We have to find the others." I brushed my lips against his temple.

He mumbled something into the fabric of my shirt.

I laughed. "What was that?"

He lifted his head momentarily. "They can wait."

I smiled at how adorable he sounded.

"Come on, we've got to go."

"No."

"Yep."

"Nope."

"_Clint_."

"Alright, fine," he sighed.

With his arm wrapped around my waist and mine slung across his shoulders, Clint and I limped through the foyer of the high class office and exited through the revolving doors. When we reached the dilapidated street, I felt the man beside me stiffen before picking up our pace.

After twenty minutes of weaving through the streets, we reached an enormous tower. My brow furrowed.

"Isn't this called Stark Tower?"

"Yeah."

"Then why is there only an 'A'?"

"It wasn't like that before, trust me."

S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived less than ten minutes later to safely detain Loki.

After a twenty minute rant from Fury, I learnt that landing a top secret military jet in an alley, parallel to two apartment buildings was not the best way to make the people of earth happy.

After the chew-out and an abrupt dismissal from Fury, I sighed and walked over to Stark's bar. Several agents, along with the entire Avengers ensemble, were nursing drinks that Stark served himself. Even Bruce was sipping on a glass of brandy, clad in a new pair of black slacks and a maroon button-up.

"What would you like, jailbait?"

Even though I was lost in my thoughts, I still felt several stares. My brow creased before my vision cleared and I looked up at Mr. Stark.

"Hmm?"

"Would do you want to drink? I can get you some soda cause you're probably underage or something. Usually I wouldn't care, but since _Mommy_ is sticking his nose in my tower, I should obey the law." The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the bar rolled their eyes and fixed glares at the man. I could've sworn what they were really worried about was Stark calling their boss 'Mommy'.

"If you're legal though, I can serve you something with a bit more kick. Equivalent to the kick you're getting from banging Robin Hood. Am I right?"

I looked over at Clint. His back went rigid as he stared down at his drink.

_Is he embarrassed with me? _

The butterflies that had been fluttering through my stomach turned to stone and clumped uncomfortably.

_Forget him then. Obviously he doesn't care enough to defend you. _

I don't need defending, though.

_Then walk away. _

I turned on the ball of my foot, facing the broken window and looked at the decimated skyline of Manhattan.

"I will soon be three thousand years old, Mr. Stark. I believe I deserve more respect from you."

"Respect is earned, Sweet Cheeks, not deserved."

I looked skyward. Why were humans always so childish?

"What? No witty comeback?"

I rubbed my aching forehead before spinning to face him. Flames of rage flowed through my veins.

"I've proven myself time and again. Fighting on your side. Giving my life for you humans... _Midgardians_. I should not have made myself so familiar with your race. I see that now. I will find a way to return to Lesengard so I no longer have to be within your presence."

With a brief nod, I crossed my arms and stalked over to the window. Closing my eyes, I savored the feel of the cool wind against my heated flesh. During my speech, I'd seen how the agents shrank back in fear. Natasha reached for her gun. Bruce's kind eyes widened. Steve's jaw dropped. Stark seemed dejected. Clint... Clint looked guilty.

I wasn't right for this world. I was a poison to their team.

_They're scared of you. _

"Well that was... interesting..."

My eyes flew opened and fell on the man beside me. I smiled gently as I took in his receding hairline and dark suit.

"You heard that?"

"I think all of Manhattan heard you," he stated drily.

I groaned.

"I think of you all the time, you know?"

"That's ... unnecessary..."

And creepy.

He chuckled; the first emotion of happiness I'd ever seen from him.

"No, not like that. I'm just... so thankful that you gave me another chance."

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"You deserved it."

"You were willing to die for me. You did die... You didn't know you were going to come back, did you?"

I swallowed, giving him the only answer he needed. I retrieved my hand slowly and crossed my arms again, looking back out the window. I watched the sun set behind the new skyline.

"That's something I can never repay." I could hear the emotion in his voice.

I took a deep breath. Turning to him, I looked deep into his grey eyes. I pressed a chaste kiss to his furrowed brow before pulling away from him.

"Son of Coul, repay me by living a long life. Do that for me. Nothing else matters."

Gazing over his shoulder, I saw a brunette agent glaring at the two of us. She stabbed the electronic tablet she was holding with more force than necessary.

"I can do that." When he noticed I was no longer invested in our conversation, he followed my stare to the female across the room.

I watched as he blushed.

I pushed his shoulder and nodded encouragingly.

"Go for it."

He smiled bashfully before meandering towards Agent Maria Hill.

I smiled tiredly. I stalked over to the glass table my possessions were splayed across and proceeded to strap my holster and weapons back onto my body.

Every few minutes, I glanced over at Clint. Our eyes met several times, but he finally turned away to start up a conversation with Romanoff.

Gritting my teeth, I walked across the room to the elevator. I was stopped by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent clutching a tablet. She arched a perfectly plucked brow. She fluffed her chemically bleached hair with her free hand.

"Ma'am, you are not authorized to leave this area until you've been debriefed."

"Let me pass," I spat through gritted teeth.

"Obviously, you didn't _comprehend_. You're not authorized-"

"No, I got that part. You better let me pass though, before I snap your neck. I haven't had the best day."

The girl's eyes narrowed.

"You little _bitch_-"

"Oh that's very sophisticated vocabulary you have there."

She rolled her eyes. She cocked her boney hip to the side, standing her ground.

"Fine. I'll take the easier way out."

I sprinted across the room and launched myself out the broken window of Stark Tower.

* * *

**Well there ya go! How Ella gets out of any unwanted situation: jump out the window. haha**

**How'd you like it? Let me know! Reviews aren't required, but greatly appreciated :)**


	22. Chapter 21

**Alright, here we go! Another chapter for all you lovelies :D **

**Disclaimer: I own Ella and plotlines that don't follow Avengers movieverse.**

* * *

As I jumped, I heard shouting coming from behind me. Heavy boots hit the ground as they approached with surprising speed. I flew through the air, relishing the feel of the wind. Suddenly, there was an hand latched onto my wrist.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

My head snapped up. Clint's chiseled jaw clenched as he began hauling me back into the Tower. He was laid out on the floor, attempting to redistribute the weight of my body with his. I struggled against him.

"I'm getting some air. What does it _look_ like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're trying to kill yourself."

He lifted me several more inches. I tried wrenching my arm from his grasp.

"Let me go, Agent Barton."

"No."

"It's time for me to go home."

"Where's that?"

"I'm not from Midgard. Have you read my file?"

He shook his head. I watched as perspiration began to slide down his temples. The remainder of the Avengers ensemble came into view, some still holding their glasses from the bar.

"I'm not needed here any longer."

"Yes you are."

"There's nothing to keep me here. _Nothing_."

He looked down, rejection flitting over his features. Immediately, he wiped the emotion from his face and became stoic. My heart seized in my chest.

"Come back inside. We can talk about this..."

I smiled sadly as I looked up at him.

"...about us..."

I had to swallow, as my heart threatened to come up my throat.

"There is no 'us'."

I reached up with my other hand and pried his fingers one at a time from my wrist. His eyes widened at my cold words and actions. He shook his head as if he couldn't believe I was rejecting him again. I watched the ropes of taut muscle bulge in his forearms.

Clint lost his grip momentarily. I fell several inches before he snatched my fingertips.

"Y-you're slipping."

"Let me go."

"Ella..."

"Goodbye Clint."

I released his hand.

I began to fall. I closed my eyes.

"NO!" he bellowed.

Natasha gasped. Bruce cursed. Steve turned, closing his eyes.

Suddenly, something hit me hard in my side. Then I was flying in the opposite direction.

_No..._

My eyes snapped open.

"You... IDIOT!" I screamed.

Iron Man was flying us across the city of Manhattan. Somehow he had donned his suit and jumped after me.

"Well that's not _usually_ the reaction I get for saving a damsel in distress-"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M IN DISTRESS?!"

I watched as Stark looked me up and down.

"Yep. Especially the dramatic dangling from the window bit. That was a nice touch." The monotone of the suit's communications system made my jaw twitch in irritation.

I scoffed and shook my head. We were descending towards a small area on the top of a grassy hill. Stark touched down and pushed me towards the a set of items that resembled chairs, but were suspended by metal chain links. I stumbled back, unable to catch my footing because of the rapid change in altitude. The billionaire's suit disassembled and folded into a small square which Stark casually picked up and tossed in the air before catching it playfully.

"Sit," he ordered. His tone left no room for argument. I frowned as I slunk back and sat on one of the chairs. I swung slightly, making me off balance.

He was angry. More angry than I'd ever seen him. Even in battle.

"You are CRAZY, lady! Like dingo-ate-my-baby, bat-shit crazy! WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?!"

His finger poked at my forehead repeatedly before I slapped the offending hand.

"Cut it out, Stark."

"YOU CUT IT OUT."

"Stop being so childish."

"I'm not the one jumping out of buildings because they can't deal with a little snot-nose brat!"

"I would've survived."

"Do you now that for sure? From what I can tell, you're not a hundred percent here anymore."

I glared up at him.

For several minutes, he looked deep into my eyes. Finally he spoke, but only in a small whisper.

"You're not afraid to die, are you? You were prepared for it when you gave Coulson your life."

I rubbed my temples. How could this man be so smart... yet so incredibly moronic?

"That's... not the point. Jumping out of your little tower wouldn't have killed me."

Stark grabbed onto the chain that held up the small chair. He leaned in so close I had to move backward.

"My. Tower. Is. Not. Little."

I laughed silently and kept staring up at the man. I couldn't keep the smirk off my face.

_Over compensation, much?_

I patted his chest, "It's a very pretty tower, you have no need to worry."

"I know it's _pretty_, Pepper and I designed it together."

My head cocked to the side.

_Pepper?_

The corner of Stark's mouth drew up. He moved to the other side of the chair and started to push my back. I shrieked at the sudden movement and held onto the chains for dear life.

"What is this contraption?!"

And then Stark was laughing. On the ground, rolling on the grass, laughing. My face burned with embarrassment. He wiped tears of mirth from his eyes as he got back up and resumed pushing me, this time more gently.

"They're c-called swings, Sweet Cheeks. You're happy go lucky when you're facing death, but you're scared shitless when on a swing-set."

His chuckling continued, but died off after about ten minutes.

I watched small birds fly through the "Park" as Stark pushed the "swing". Pairs of the birds chirped back and forth. The interaction made me smile. Several varieties lived in the park. I could tell by the colors of brown and red, even a vibrant blue. It was there, on that small hill, on the outskirts of Manhattan, where I realized it. Midgard was a beautiful planet. There were oceans and prairies. Ice caps and skyscrapers. So diverse. A diversity that required protection-

"We could use you."

I looked over my shoulder at the man and shifted my weight on the swing.

"We could use fighters. And you're... pretty good... I guess."

I turned back to face forward.

"Thanks, Stark."

"Tony."

"Hmm?"

"It's my name. Call me Tony."

I looked around, gazing over at the city as the sun fell behind the buildings.

"Well, Tony... I guess I could stick around for a little while."

"I do get lonely at the Tower. And Pepper, my other half, would love another female to interact with. You can have you own room."

I smiled, ducking my head.

He kept pushing me until I heard the sound of screeching tires at the bottom of the hill. At least five unmarked black SUVs were now present. I glanced back at Tony. He avoided my gaze.

"You lead them here, didn't you?"

The man scrunched his face apologetically. He held up his suit that was still in its compressed form. A red light blinked from inside.

"They hacked into the GPS I have on my suit just in case it goes missing. The GPS I may have purposefully not shut off..."

"...How the hell do you lose a suit?"

Tony shrugged.

"Ella. Ella!"

My head snapped at the sound of his voice. _Clint_. I watched as he ran up the hill.

_Oh gods. _

"Give the man a shot, Sweet Cheeks. If you're gonna be staying here for a while, you might as well make some friends." With that said, Tony patted my shoulder and proceeded to descend the hill. I watched as he winked at me before climbing into one of the vans.

I looked down at the ground as Barton approached me. Instead of stopping in front of me, he sat in the swing beside me.

Several moments later, the automobiles departed, leaving Clint and I alone in the park.

"I'm sorry-," we both started. I chuckled and waved for him to speak. He shook his head.

"Ladies first. And as far as I can tell, I'm not a lady... I don't think I have the right parts... last I checked-"

"Alright, too much information!" I interrupted him. "I'm sorry... for always running away from you."

I peeked over at him from the corner of my eye. I could barely see him as it was almost pitch black. The only light source were the small stars that lined the ebony sky.

"Yeah, that's getting annoying... Girls don't usually run away. More like, towards me-"

His comment cut off as I reached over and smacked him lightly on his sculpted chest.

"Hey!"

"Ouch!"

"Oh yeah, that really hurt."

"Only my manly pride, Gorgeous."

I blushed.

"Does your charm always fix your problems?"

"Most of them..." When I looked over, I saw him watching me intently.

"So what are you sorry for?" I prompted.

Clint sighed and hopped off the swing. He offered me his hand, as if begging me to join him. I placed my small hand in his.

He lead us halfway down the hill before laying down. He pulled me down so I was laying across him, with my head on his abdomen. After several moments of listening to his breath and gazing at the stars, he sighed.

"I'm not very good at these... things."

I turned slightly so I could see his profile as he looked at the sky.

"What things?"

"Relationships," he spat out, as if the word was toxic.

My brow creased.

"Why?"

He heaved a sigh and looked down at me.

"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent. I can't exactly retire just to have the apple pie lifestyle that every woman dreams of."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not 'every woman', Clint."

He chuckled before starting to run his hands through my white blonde hair. He pulled the tendrils from the bun it was in and started playing with the ends.

"I've noticed."

After a pregnant pause, I whispered into his chest.

"Do you want me?" I finished the question with a kiss to his left pectoral, right over his heart.

He moaned at the light pressure. The low noise spread white hot heat through my body.

Clint sat up and cradled my face in his hands.

"God yes."

Then his full lips fit over mine.

We kissed passionately until the stars disappeared and the sun rose. We sealed the silent pact that was now known.

_No more running away._

* * *

**Gahhhhh! I flipped out writing this chappie. I know Ella's been annoyingly depressed lately, but this is the end of it!**

**Reviews are not required, but greatly appreciated.**


	23. Chapter 22

**Sorry my beautiful angels! To all those who've been silently and impatiently waiting for the new chapter... Here you go! To make up for it, Larien Elanesse and I have written you something a little different... hope you guys like it ;D**

**Disclaimer: Don't own... most unfortunate... I know.**

* * *

The next morning, Coulson arrived at the park, landing a fairly large quinjet in the field below. Clint raised his head from its spot on my belly before turning his head and groaning into the material of my shirt. I heard him mumble something, his hot breath making tingles run up my spine.

"We have to go, Clint." I ran my fingers through his hair.

He groaned again. Finally turning his head to the side, he spoke.

"I don't want to. Can't we just stay... here..."

A shadow loomed over us. I looked up to the pissed off face of Agent Coulson.

He stared at us judgmentally for a moment before directing us to the aircraft. Clint linked his fingers with mine to lift me to my feet before leading the way, trudging down the hill.

Several hours later, we arrived back at the Helicarrier, which was now resting in the ocean. The Avengers were being relocated to Stark Tower; Tony had offered a room to every member, as well as several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents including Coulson and Maria Hill. He didn't ask me, though.

Feeling like a human child who wasn't invited to a birthday party, my stomach flopped dangerously. I packed my things quickly, wanting to avoid the uncomfortable judgment that'd come from the rest of the team.

_You're not part of this team. Stop trying to convince yourself they need you. _

No more running. That's what Clint and I decided.

Even though my inner voice wanted me to run, I would stop by Clint's room before leaving. To say goodbye.

Just as I was turning to leave my room, duffle in tow, Tony was somehow standing in the doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest, the glow of the arc reactor softly emanating through the cotton of his shirt.

My heart seized in my chest. I sputtered out a cough, covering my hand over my beet red face.

"Holy shi-"

"Language, sweet cheeks."

"Shut up, Stark," I bit out instinctively.

"-WHAT? I'm just saying. Gosh."

"What do you want, Tony?"

"Going somewhere?" He gestured to the bag I still held in my hand.

I dropped the bag as if it had burned me.

"Nope."

"Really?"

"Really."

"What the hell are you doing then?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Getting ready for the move into my tower."

I gave him a dubious look.

"Huh? Is this an invitation..?"

"You do know you're part of the team right?"

I didn't know what to say in response.

_You're not part of this team. Stop trying to convince yourself they need you-_

"Plus, if you ran, we'd just go find you. We all know you make fabulous cookies in that little bakery in Kolkata." His tone was much too smug for my liking.

My eyes widened.

"How do you-?"

"Bruce. He's adorable when he's talking about you. Like a Hallmark channel movie special."

"He talks about me?"

"Don't ask dumb questions sweet cheeks. Now get your stuff. Wheels up in ten."

He patted my cheek patronizingly before leaving. I gritted my teeth. Picking up my duffle, I walked across the hall to Clint's room. The door was closed.

I knocked softly.

"-Natasha, I really don't want-" I raised my brow inquisitively.

The door swung open slightly, Barton's head revealed through the gap. I watched his lips as a wide grin spread across them, causing his entire face to light up.

"-Oh hey, babe. Come in."

He opened the door wide for me to enter. Hormones coursed through my body at the sight of his naked upper body. I moaned at the ropes of taught muscle. Prominent veins covered the surface of his arms and disappeared into his pectorals. On his lower half... a pair of black boxer-briefs that left little to the imagination. All across the tanned flesh were small droplets of water, some trailing down into the delectable "v" at his hips-

"...You feeling okay?" He questioned, noticing me ogling his body. I avoided his deep blue eyes as they smoldered me. He shook his head while walking towards the adjoining bathroom to grab a towel. When Clint came back in the room, he was drying his hair, showing off even more of his body as the muscles flexed.

"WHY ARE YOU WET?" My voice breeched the silence of the quiet room.

He looked at me like I was insane.

"...I just had a shower?" he drawled, giving me an odd look. "You sure you're okay-?"

I felt my face heat up. I launched myself on his bed, hiding in the wrinkled comforter.

"Babe? What's wrong?" His voice was more alarmed this time.

_If only you knew. IF. ONLY. YOU. KNEW._

I shook my head childishly.

_WHY ARE YOU SO GORGEOUS?_

"Can you at least look at me?"

I burrowed myself into the blankets, shook my head, and groaned loudly, trying to drown out the deep rumble in his voice that was causing heat to pool in my belly.

I felt the bed depress on the corner.

"...Please?" I felt him stroking my hair comfortingly, unknowingly continuing my inner torture.

I turned my head to the side slightly. My hair was like a curtain, blocking out his body so I could only see his face. He smiled sweetly at the sight of my eyes peeking cautiously at him.

"Hey hon. Now what seems to be the problem?"

"No."

"Tell me."

"No!"

"Hon, what's wron-"

"NOPE!"

"Okay... But how can I help fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong?"

"I can't take this anymore." I admitted softly.

"What?"

"You."

"WHAT?!"

"Why do you have to be so sexy? Seriously! It's not fair to womankind for us to be expected to resist such perfection!"

He didn't respond for a couple moments. "... So, you're telling me I'm... too... sexy?"

"Yes."

"I see... What if I told you that you don't have to resist me?"

That's when he proceeded to crawl towards me. My eyes went wide at the sight of him approaching me with so much... sensuality. On the prowl on his hands and knees, only in a pair of black boxers.

My heart felt like it was about to explode.

Before I could effectively hide myself, one of his large calloused hands cradled the side of my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. I shivered.

Clint leaned down and kissed the hollow of my throat. Slowly, his warm lips travelled the column. He left small purposeful kisses, his unshaved face causing a moan to escape me.

I tried staying still. I honestly did. But when his skilled mouth reached the spot behind my ear, my body was a live wire.

As he leaned over me, my legs unconsciously wrapped around hips.

He sat up suddenly, pulling me up so I was straddling his lap. I ground my hips in a liquid circle against his. He growled. at the feeling of our most intimate areas pressed together perfectly.

His hardness was exactly where I needed him. I sighed blissfully. I felt Barton thrust his hips into mine.

That's when the final remnants of my control snapped. Our lips connected, hot and frenzied. I draped my arms around his neck, playing with the short hair at the base. His tongue was then at the entrance of my mouth, begging for entrance. Mine eagerly accepted him. It felt like I'd been waiting for this forever. Our tongues writhed against each other until we both pulled away, desperately gasping for air. Clint took advantage of our distance, grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it off over my head. The cool air made my nipples harden through the fabric of my black bra. Tossing the shirt over his shoulder, his lips began trailing down my jaw line. I mewed loudly at the sensations Clint was causing to course through my veins.

"Robin Hood, have you seen that escape artist of yours-?" Tony Stark shouted, barging into Clint's room. "...oh. Well this is awkward. Never mind. I see she found you. And Little John-"

"Fucking hell, Stark!" Clint said. At the exact moment, I screeched, "DO YOU EVER KNOCK?!" desperately attempting to shield my upper half with the man above me. He reached and grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and hurled it with surprising precision at the annoying intruder who was lazily lounging against the doorframe.

"Time to go, lovebirds. The rest of the team's waiting." The outrageous grin was evident in the playboy's tone.

"Speak a word of this, and you'll have an arrow through the eye!" Clint shouted at Tony's back as he walked towards the flight deck.

"And it'd be so worth it!" he called sassily over his shoulder.

I giggled as the assassin above me groaned and hid his flushed face in the crook of my neck. I placed feather-light kisses to his shoulder as I rolled out from underneath him.

"Clint, we have to go," I said, pulling my shirt swiftly over my head.

"I can't..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I sort of have a 'large problem' that needs to be taken care of-" he said, a slightly pained look crossing his face.

"Oh... do you need help with that...?"

He grunted, adjusting himself before walking to the bathroom.

"Babe, I know you're trying to help, but you saying that just made the problem bigger."

"Sorry!" I called, exiting the room; hearing the water turn on in the shower once more.

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**Alright. This lemon honestly took forever. So if you have any ideas... PLEASE. Help us! **

**Reviews are not required but greatly loved... like cupcakes 8D**


	24. Chapter 23

**Hello friends! I must wish you all a splendid holiday season. **

**I must admit that I was minutely heartbroken when there were only a few reviews for last chapter. I will now choke off this sadness so you may read the continuation of the story. T_T ahaha jkjk**

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**Merry christmas: Thanks. lol.**

**Lady Syndra: Thank you!**

**Kathalla: I'm glad you've liked it so far.**

**XxLostInTheMusicxX: I know! Haha thanks man. I also have to thank you for being here since the beginning! It makes me elated that there're still a few of you guys liking the story.**

**Cara Tala: Yes ma'am! Even though Ella's super badass, she's moody. I'm glad you're still reading and reviewing. And don't even worry about the delayed response. I hope everything's okay with you and your family. Many holiday wishes to you and yours!**

**Awesome Panda: There will most certainly be more M rated scenes and lemons. I just had to build up their relationship before they start the "shabang-bang", if ya know what I mean ;P lol**

**Guest: Hahaha if only. This story would have to be a little more popular if I would start writing full time. Thanks though.**

**An Echo In Time: My sentiments exactly x)**

**Guest: Thanks!**

**Guest: Merci beaucoup :D**

**Theta-McBride: Indeed! Hahaha I thought that's how Tony would act though. Completely childish and arrogant :P Thank you so much for keeping with the story! Also, to your previous comment, Lesengard, unfortunately, does not exist in Norse mythology. I made it up. lol.**

**Alya Kihaku: I'm glad you like them partnered together.**

**Larien Elanesse: Holy hell, you leave the longest reviews ever. Love it though ;P**

**Dalonega Noquisi: I know. I know. Confusion is most certainly due when speaking of Ella. :) I sincerely hope it hasn't put you off the story...**

**Lupa94: You'll have to wait and see if others will come from Lesengard... Hm. I suppose we are in need of a new villain... x)**

**Cooky Crumbla: Thanks!**

**Indigo Scrawl: You are such a fabulous reviewer. The smile created by your words will last days, I am sure!**

**CGKrows: Hahaha this is exactly how Ella makes me feel! Pissing me off.. yet I can't help but adore her.**

**daeb: thank you!**

**Birdy Main: I agree. Thank you for the review :)**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers. **

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One of the biggest things I worried about on our relocation was how Tony would act to Clint and I. I was afraid there'd be so much awkwardness that it'd overwhelm my nervous system and send me spiraling into a coma.

Boy... was it awkward...

I'd rather a coma over Tony grinning madly, as Clint put it, like the Cheshire cat, tapping obnoxiously and staring me straight in the eye all the way across the jet from his seat beside Bruce. I could've sworn the red hue on my face would never leave. Catching my reflection in a nearby mirror was a complete mistake. I resembled a tomato.

Maybe that's what Tony was grinning about; the heightened circulation of blood in my features. I tried to convince myself it had nothing to do with seeing Barton doing very naughty things to me...

I groaned and attempted to hide my face in my hands. The blush of embarrassment roaring to new heights.

The car ride was even worse. Tony, Steve, Bruce, Natasha, Clint and I were crammed into the backseat of Tony's limousine; which for someone as rich as he, wasn't as large as I would've thought.

The only benefit of the small vehicle was that I was forced to haphazardly drape myself across the muscled archer beside me so that everyone would fit. When I glanced over, I saw Natasha perched on Bruce's lap. I couldn't tell if it was discomfort or pleasure on the doctor's face.

Everyone had to make some sort of _sacrifice_, I suppose.

A sacrifice that resulted in a certain delicious body part pressing hard against my backside. Every bump the car drove over caused the man to thrust into me. Barely recognizable grunts were falling from his lips. After one block, I felt his head against the back of my neck. Clint's hot breath and strangled whispers made me wonder whether I was upset, or thankful of Tony's tiny car. I just wanted to pounce on the man beneath me and ravage him so neither of us would be able to walk for weeks.

Steve was completely oblivious and staring out the window at the passing sights.

After an hour of sexually charged torture, the vehicle came to a halt.

A beautiful woman waited for us at the entrance to the tower. Her red hair was twisted into an intricate bun and the strands framing her face were curled lightly. She tucked the unruly strands behind her ears with a small smile. She smoothed the perfect material of her charcoal dress before linking her manicured fingers together.

Tony stepped out of his limousine, nodding to his driver. He wrapped his arms around Pepper sweetly. He tucked his head into the crook of her neck, just breathing in her scent.

"I tried to call..."

I could've sworn Stark was about to cry.

But then... I suppose robots don't have the ability to shed tears. Cause they're seemingly heartless when on vendettas. I growled internally.

Regret crossed his girlfriend's face. "I know, I'm so sorry, Tony..."

"You were the only one I wanted to talk to in the end-"

"-Tony..."

Suddenly Stark pulled away. "We can talk about it later, sweetheart. For now, I'd like you to meet the Avengers."

Pepper nodded and turned to the limo.

Steve Rogers stepped out first. He shook Pepper's hand with a nod. "Ma'am."

"Captain Rogers."

"You know me, ma'am?" he asked, confused.

She smiled. "I studied everyone's file. And please, call me Pepper."

_Great._

Now that there was more room in the vehicle, I was able to look out the window. My jaw slackened. Hundreds of people were crowded outside of the tower, screaming hysterically and trying to reach the men. Bulbs of cameras flashed. I blinked, but the bright lights could not be wiped away.

My temples throbbed.

Romanoff slipped off Bruce's lap, causing a vocal moan to escape his parted lips. A vibrant blush covered his features before he slapped a hand over his face. I covered my mouth, keeping the giggles at bay momentarily. The assassin turned slightly, arching a single, perfectly plucked brow as the brunette man with anger management issues.

The woman looked strange to me in the pair of tight fitting jeans and a black ribbed tank top. I'd gotten used to her in the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.

The women shook hands swiftly.

"Natasha Romanoff."

"Nice to meet you Miss Romanoff."

"The pleasure is all mine, Ma'am."

_What is this? A nice-off?_

"Hawkeye! Let's go, we need more men out here!" Tony's arrogant voice made the man beneath me go tense. The crowd roared. The clicks of the cameras went crazy, the sporadic lights blinding all of us.

I felt him adjust himself in his cargo pants before I shifted off him. I glanced at Clint. He met my gaze momentarily, flashing a brief smirk before contorting his large body out the small door.

"Agent Clint Barton. Pleased to meet you, Ma'am."

"Pleasure. But please, just Pepper."

Tony smirked, pressing a chaste kiss against her temple.

"I don't like this," Bruce whispered in my ear. I patted his hand that was clenched into a tight fist on his thigh.

"Neither do I, Bruce. Is it cause of the people?"

He nodded before stepping out of the car. He ran his hands nervously through his curly brown hair before greeting Pepper with a nod. The doctor was bombarded with the screams of female fans. I watched as homemade posters were waved through the air, begging to be seen.

Pepper responded with a sweet smile, as if knowing not to push the doctor more.

Loki was at a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility so there was appropriate security. Thor refused to leave his side... so that meant I was the final person to exit the limo.

My waist length hair was down from its typical bun and fell in waves to the small of my back. I was wearing a tight long-sleeved shirt and leggings. My boots had seen better days. The leather was being barely held together by several worn threads and the laces were loosened.

I slid out of the limo and stood gracefully. Pepper's eyes widened at the sight of me. My dark features focused on her before turning to look down the street. The fans roared even louder now, even when they saw Clint.

I'll admit, it was certainly an ego boost.

Reporters at the front of the crowd reached over the burly security guards that kept the masses at bay.

"What's your name?"

"How old are you?"

"Are you in a relationship with the Dr. Banner?"

"Where did you get the fashionable boots?"

_Well that's interesting..._

The rapid-fire questions made my head spin.

Pepper recovered quickly with a professional smile.

"There will be a press conference tomorrow at 08:00 hours. There will be no further comments. Thank you."

The swarm of press and fans were pushed back just enough for our group to enter the tower. Pepper locked the doors behind us with a sigh before Tony began ushering us through the foyer.

Pepper tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fell into place beside me at the end of the group.

"So I didn't have the chance to introduce myself-"

"Your name is Virginia Potts, but you're known universally as Pepper. You are the love interest of Anthony Edward Stark, also known as Tony; billionaire and playboy. You were born here in the United States. What most people don't know about you is that you grew up in a small family in New Haven, Connecticut. And you had a dog named Alfonzo."

Several steps later, I noticed Pepper had stopped walking. Her eyes widened and brow crinkled.

"How did you know all of that?"

"You're not the only one who can read files, Ms. Potts." I smirked back at her before proceeding after the group.

She didn't have to know the truth.

How I really knew her past.

How simple she was to read.

She didn't have to know.

And neither did the Avengers.

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**Ohhh that was good. If you liked it, let me know! Thanks to all who have review/fav/followed!**

**Hope you have a fabulous day X)**


	25. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! Hope you had a great Valentines day! Sorry for the wait, I've been struggling with the plot and stuff... But I finally figured out the way to go :P **

**If ya wana leave me some love in the reviews, it'll make my day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers... **

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I followed the group through a formal tour of Stark Tower. It was indeed impressive. Everything looked incredibly expensive; and much too... clean.

The Avengers had their necks strained, taking in each possible detail, as if we weren't going to be permanently inhabiting the quarters. I noticed Steve's eyes as they moved quickly, inspecting various pieces of artwork as we passed through the lobby and into the elevator.

Being in the new environment made me skittish. I tried not to show how my languid steps faltered or how a chill crept up my spine making me shiver. I analyzed each possible escape route, using the calculated movements and routine to calm my nerves.

"Would you like me to call the lift, sir?"

I reached for my gun, whirling at the sound of the disembodied voice.

"Come on Jay! We went over this days ago. The wakeup call..? Three a.m.? Is any of this ringing a bell?"

"If by 'ringing a bell' you are referring to 'remembering' the conversation we had twenty one minutes and fifty one seconds ago, over your cellular device, than indeed I do."

I watched a soft smile spread across Bruce's face.

"That's incredible," he whispered in awe.

"What is?"Steve asked, crossing his arms across his wide chest.

I relaxed my hold on the gun.

Bruce continued, so excited that he revealed the same traits as an toddler provided with sugar.

"It's an A.I."

"A what?"Steve seemed even more confused than before and his forehead began to crease.

"Artificial Intelligence," I whispered. The hostility in my voice easily penetrated the air. Clint looked over at me, as if saying, 'what in the gods name s is wrong with you?' I ignored it.

"She's beautiful..." Bruce commented.

There was an awkward pause before the A.I's accented voice continued. "I'd rather not be referred to the female gender, Doctor Banner. I have alerted the lift, sir."

"Thanks Jarvis."

Tony still seemed miffed his plans of terror had been thwarted as we piled into the elevator.

After several more floors of show and tell, I stopped walking, causing the others to pause.

"I regret to inform you that my body has become weary and I require slumber." The others sighed happily. They didn't want to hurt Tony's feelings, but they wanted to sleep.

Stark's face fell at my words. Pepper took over, smiling professionally, and ushered us to our accommodations. Rooms were on the fifteenth floor, with their own bathrooms and small kitchens.

"Down the hall and to the left, there's a lounge room connected to one of the main kitchens." Miss Potts gestured towards the closed door before separating us into our designated rooms.

Feeling the urge to bake, I caught up to the redhead. She seemed alarmed by my sudden presence and took a step away from me before wiping the emotion from her face and stride.

_You shouldn't have said anything. Normal people don't tap into others subconscious. _

Normal.

I scoffed.

"Did you have a question, Miss...?" I could tell she was fishing for a last name.

"It's just Ella."

"Like Cher?"

"...sure."

Miss Potts snorted uncharacteristically with laughter. She attempted to muffle the noise with her dainty hand.

"What was your question Ella?"

"Which kitchen can I use if I wish to bake?"

Before she answered, she directed Steve and Natasha to their rooms which were directly across the hall from each other. Once they were gone, it was only Clint, Miss Potts and I. Tony had already stolen Bruce from the group, peeling away towards the upper labs.

Miss Potts slipped a tendril of hair behind her ear. I noticed a barely perceptible flush across her cheeks. "We don't really _use_ the kitchens for cooking. We have people come in to do that. Tony would burn the Tower down." We both chuckled at that.

"Well, do you have supplies?"

"Not really. The cooks order the specified ingredients for each day. Jarvis finds the suppliers and is able to deliver the same day."

I paused. "Can I place an order? Give the staff a day of rest?"

"I suppose..."

"There's no need for the trepidation Miss Potts. I'm told I am a skilled baker."

"Oh, I wasn't saying-"

"Don't worry Miss Potts. You can certainly rest now. Agent Barton and I will acquire the aide of Jarvis to find our rooms.

The red head smiled. It immediately erased the lines of worry from her face, making her look years younger.

"Alright Ella. But please, call me Pepper. Miss Potts makes me feel old."

I laughed as I watched her walk back down the hall to the elevator.

I felt Clint's calloused fingers trail a feather light touch down to my hand where he stopped, intertwining our fingers loosely. I looked up at him. He was already looking down at me with a sweet smile. We walked in silence for several minutes before I spoke.

"Jarvis? Can you please direct us to our rooms?" My tone was clipped.

It took seconds for a reply.

"Certainly Miss. Down the hall, take the right at the end of the hall, then three doors down on your left."

When we arrived, the door clicked open before I even reached for the knob. The door slowly swung open to reveal a large room.

Jarvis's voice came on. "Contemporary furnishing, full stocked refrigerator, and a king size bed. Mister Stark requested this as a room, "they'll never have to leave". It's the closest we have to a honeymoon suite."

My eyes widened and I blushed scarlet. Clint seemed to choke on his saliva and hacked dangerously. I thumped him on the back until he was only wheezing. I lead him to the bed. I sat beside him and rubbed his back, feeling the sculpted muscles beneath the fabric. I swallowed. the pulse of my beating heart made its descent south.

"Aren't there two rooms?" I questioned frantically. I would combust if we stayed in the same room on a permanent basis.

"Only one room has been allocated for your stay," was the reply. The A.I. held an air of cheekiness when he spoke.

"Can we switch with someone else? Or rotate?" I attempted to find some sort of solution to this idiotic prank created by the idiotic genius Tony Stark.

"Mister Stark made it clear that either you sleep in the same room, or you won't stay in the tower."

Well that was an easy ultimatum.

"I'll see you later Clint," I grumbled, before slipping out the door. I saw his deflated expression right before I turned down the hall.

_Who does Stark think he is?! _

"Immature human," I growled out as I reached the elevator.

"Would you like me to call the lift-"

"Just bring it," I sighed. The doors opened soon after. I moved to the back of the small space, leaned up against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Where to-?"

"Rooftop."

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**Third person POV **

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Stark and Dr. Banner were working on a few blueprints for the new tower.

"Alright. A beacon of self-sustaining clean energy."

Bruce tapped several files open on his tablet.

"This is good," he stated while pushing up his glasses with his index finger.

"Why do you sound surprised when you say that? It hurts my feelings, Big Guy."

The doctor whipped a deadly glare his way. "Please don't call me that."

"What?"

"'Big Guy.'"

"Why not? I'm only stating the facts of your alter ego," Stark threw back nonchalantly.

Bruce breathed out the irritation that was starting to bubble up. The Hulk was already growing restless.

"Sir?" Jarvis's voice interrupted the tense moment between the men.

"Not now, Jarvis."

"But sir-"

"I said 'not now'!"

"Miss Ella is on the rooftop."

Bruce's head snapped up. His eyes widened.

Was Stark _laughing_?

"I guess she made the other choice," Tony chuckled under his breath.

"She's standing on the ledge now, sir. I'm sending the video feed to your tablet."

Tony stood up faster than Bruce had ever seen before and ran to the elevator.

"Jarvis, direct all Avengers to the rooftop."

"Yes sir."

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**Ella**

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I stood up on the ledge, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping my hair around me. The air was chilled from the lack of sun. Stars couldn't be seen because of the heavy layer of pollution covering the atmosphere. I breathed in. I felt _happy_. Close to the earth and its elements. Sighing, I looked at the beautiful view of the skyline from my position.

"I called Mister Stark, Miss. Don't move, help will be there shortly."

_What?_

"Jarvis, call him off, I'm fine. Just enjoying the night air."

"The Avengers have also been called..."

_Shit_.

I sighed.

Suddenly, the air around me crystallized. I could see my breath in billowing clouds of white. There was a loud clap of thunder. My eyes widened. I jumped back onto the roof.

"No," I whispered fearfully. I knew this magic. I'd seen it before.

I was thrown to the ground by an unseen force. Then there was a flash of gold. Specks of blood.

"No!" I screamed out, scrambling away from the man as he came into view.

"Jarvis! Tell them to run. Tell Clint I-"

I felt a heavy blow against the side of my face. I coughed out blood. Spots of black covered my vision.

"Greetings, Priestess."

My world faded away, but not before the image of my father's grinning face burnt itself my mind.

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**... And here we go! Off to the new plotline. Anyone see it coming?**

**Let me know :D**


	26. Chapter 25

**Hey everyone! I know I've been away for a while, but I'm going through a bunch of health stuff. **

**So here's a happy spring break chapter to all my faithful readers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. But I still own Ella, her story, her planet, and craziness... teehee!**

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"No!" Ella's screams started again, "Jarvis! Tell them to run. Tell Clint I-"

The sickening reverberation of a heavy blow on flesh slithered through the speakers once more.

Then there was static.

Agent Barton's head was buried in the cradle of his crossed arms. He was slumped over the long conference table, physically and emotionally exhausted. This situation seemed to be quite familiar to him when it concerned to Ella. Reminding the agent of many years ago when she'd escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

The Avengers sat around the table in pure silence.

Only hours ago, the ensemble was called to the roof. And when they arrived, they found... nothing.

No Ella.

No answers.

Except for the large pool of blood.

And one word, hastily written.

RUN

They wished it were just paint. Deep red paint that'd randomly splattered onto Tony's tower.

The video feed was virtually useless. Tony and Bruce had attempted to clean up the footage in the lab. But white lines of interference shrouded the assailant from sight as well as a foreign feedback with the voice.

"Why do you have to play that goddamn thing over and over? It's not going to find her! She's out there, somewhere! Waiting for us-!" Clint's voice rumbled.

"For Christ's sake! Are you really that stupid? I'm trying to find something here. You're not the only one who's hurting right now-"

"Don't presume you cared as much about her as I did!"

Natasha's head snapped up. "She's not dead, Clint."

"You don't know that. You don't know anything! No one does. We're just throwing around guesses."

"That's not it at all Barton, and you know it. It's time you take a walk; clear your head," Bruce stated, seeming like the only person in the room with any semblance of a reasonable thought process. Clint lifted his head, shocked at the doctor's words. Knowing the man was right though, the agent shuffled dejectedly out of the room.

The remaining Avengers sighed.

Steve was pacing along the edge of the room. He spoke up, slowing his purposeful steps.

"We need to stop thinking about the who, and concentrate on the why. Her last moments were spent telling us to run. Why do people say that?"

The group raised their heads, and glanced at the Capitan.

"If they're trying to protect someone," Natasha drawled, the answer should've been obvious to him already.

Tony picked up right after. "Why did she need to protect us? We're more than human. We can handle anything-"

"Unless it's something we've never encountered before," Banner muttered, taking off his glasses to rub his tired eyes.

Natasha stood, eyes wide. "Something alien."

"If it's something Ella is scared of, it has to be powerful. Something only she knows-" The doctor continued, before slipping his glasses back on and rushing to one of the computers.

He searched through may of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s encrypted files. Finally, he found what he needed.

Fury's voice filled the room.

_"-So you've waited all this time. Thor can help you get back!" _

_"If only it were that simple. I would be sentenced to death by the High Council for what I have told you this day."_

Ella. The gorgeous lilting voice of the princess of Lesengard filled the room.

_"You said yourself that Guardians cannot die. You've proven that. Thor brought down his hammer and you barely have a bruise..." _

Bruce pulled up the video of the interrogation that seemed so long ago. Stark chuckled, watching Ella flail her arms, as if waving off the stupidity of the comment. She glared before continuing

_"Guardians are given a certain amount of time to exist before they are born. Life spans can extend for millions of years, such as the Elders, or mere thousands like our children. The punishment of the High Council is death for informing outsiders of the functioning of the Order."_

_"Why is the punishment so harsh? Is it so terrible to associate with the human race? To co-exist?"_

_"Guardians see the entirety of time and space. We live and breathe, keeping watch over the universe. We cannot meddle where points in time are fixed, but other moments can be bent. Even broken, if the Guardian is strong enough. When the Earth was an infant, it knew of Lesengard and the Guardians. But over time, as if ripples of a lake, the message became tainted and forgotten. In the folklore of your people, they call us Guardian Angels. Even though we do not have halos and wings, we are completely pure of heart. If word got out we were divulging secrets of the Order; there would be an uproar. The Guardians would be tainted."_

_"But how do they kill those who are tainted?" _

The Avengers were tense. Most remembered the comment that was coming next.

_"A prison within time itself. Folded in on itself until there is no escape. Ultimately going mad, the Prison of Time keeps the Guardians who are no longer pure and holds them until their life expectancy is worn out."_

"What the hell are you watching?" Barton snarled, muscled arms crossing over his chest.

"Ella's interrogation," Stark replied nonchalantly. The archer sighed before falling into a seat at the table. Bruce played the tape once more. Once it was done, Steve was the first to speak.

"The Guardians. It has to have something to do with them."

Natasha shook her head, fingers brushing through her hair. "She wasn't scared of _Fury_. Why would she be afraid of her own Order?"

"The King," Bruce breathed out the answer, drawing the eyes of all around him.

"You mean her own father?" Natasha gaped. And that didn't happen often.

"She revealed sworn secrets of Lesengard to us," Steve started. "Ella is most likely the most powerful and influential being in the cosmos. The only person that could possibly hold anything close to that is the King of her people. She said they'd execute her if they ever found-"

"A rift between our worlds was created by the little act Loki pulled with the Tesseract. It is possible that something could've slipped through during the battle-"

"-and he found her," Clint stated, face stoic as he cut Bruce off.

"How are we going to get there? We sealed the rift. We would need-"

"-a Tesseract," the archer finished the statement, already down the hall before the others could move from their seats.

* * *

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"It _means_ exactly what it sounds like, Barton. _No_."

It was half past three in the morning, and Fury was not the happiest of campers.

The Avengers had stormed S.H.I.E.L.D. unannounced, and had only one thing in mind. Taking the Tesseract.

"Maybe you should take the night to think about what the hell you're asking. count some sheep, lollipops, or grenades. Just get the hell out of here, and back to that little tower of yours. Am I clear, Barton?"

Clint's glare bounced right off of Fury's black leather coat, leaving him completely unaffected. Or maybe it was the eye patch that shielded him from the mental scythe. Either way, the director seemed to not care less that Ella had been kidnapped.

"My tower's not little..." Stark mumbled quietly. Romanoff slapped him upside his head.

"May we please speak with Thor?" Steve questioned smoothly, looking ever the leader in a long-sleeved blue shirt that stretched across his pectorals.

The god in question marched into the conference room, munching on something that suspiciously resembled a chocolate Pop Tart.

"What seems to be that which you require, tiny friends?" His voice boomed. Chocolate stuck to his pearly whites. Bruce scoffed.

"Ella was kidnapped. We need your help and the Tesseract to get her back," Steve listed off, cutting straight to the chase.

All the god could say in reply was-

"Ah."

"What?"

"I bit my tongue."

"Will you help us?"

"I am in debt to you, because of all you've done for me. I have little choice in the matter. But I will complete any mission for the fair Princess," Thor grinned. "Who has taken her?"

"Her believe it was her father."

"THE KING?!" Thor's voice thundered through the room. The Avengers nodded.

"Even better! Asgard has been waiting many years to take its revenge! My people will help us." The joyous tone in the god's voice took everyone off guard.

"What about Loki?"

"Either he will aid in this journey as well, or he will attend his trial on Asgard."

The room went silent. Thor was seemingly unaware to the tension. He traipsed back to his chambers.

The others departed after there was a consensus that they would leave in the morning. S.H.I.E.L.D. offered the ensemble rooms for the night.

Before Clint left for his room, Stark grasped his shoulder.

"Think of it this why Legolas. You get to meet her parents!"

With that said, the billionaire released him and slipped into the next room.

_Time to meet the parents._

* * *

**Well there we go! Now we're off to Lesengard! I don't know whether to be terrified or pumped! **

**If you review, I promise to make Thor share his Pop Tarts...**


	27. Chapter 26: The Beginning of the End

**Happy Father's Day my friends! I give you the gift of a heart-pounding, heart strings-pulling, plot-twisting, jaw-dropping chapter. **

**Sorry for the ridiculously long wait. My beautiful Beta has been in Europe for the past couple months, and it didn't feel right writing without her. **

**Buuuuuut I thought up this little gem and had to share it with you guys. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This shit's gonna get crazy... Oh and I don't own Avengers.**

* * *

**Chapter 26: The Beginning of the End**

It was three o'clock in the morning. Everything was silent, all agents and Avengers were asleep. Everyone except for Clint Barton.

His arms were pumping, his feet pounding. Beads of sweat trailed down his face. His eyes were far away as he ran on one of the treadmills in the deserted workout room. Even with such a blank look on his face, his mind was far away, seeing the face of Ella over and over, smiling.

They were back on the hill, the night they spent by the park just outside of New York.

_The beautiful woman was wrapped tightly in his strong arms. She was perched in his lap, and it took all of his will power to not let his feelings manifest physically. _

_"I'll never let anyone hurt you," Clint whispered, pressing a kiss on the back of her neck. She smelt of honeysuckle and warm honey. Ella giggled uncharacteristically at the feeling of the man under her sniffing her neck. She attempted to slip out of his grip, but it was futile. His arms tightened. _

_"Clint, stop!" She cried, gasping for breath. The woman turned so she was straddling him and pushed against his muscled chest. One of his hands came up to capture both of hers. His pupils dilated in reaction to the new position and flipped them. Ella let out a small cry of surprise, legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. Clint hovered over her, bringing her arms above her head to lay in the thick grass. He gazed down into her glowing eyes and his heart pounded in his chest. Her tinkling laughter quieted at the look in his eye._

_"What's wrong?" She asked, her brow creasing. _

_"I was just thinking about how beautiful you are." _

_Ella blushed bashfully. Hands still restrained, the woman pulled Clint down to her with her legs, which were still laced around him. Their lips met fervently, lips molding. _

_Only the brilliant stars in the night sky above were witness to the passionate kiss that passed between the man and woman. _

_Ella's slim legs tightened around the archer. He bit her lower lip gently, making her gasp. As her lips parted, Clint's arm that wasn't holding her hands above her head wound around her slim waist, pulling her body tight against his. His tongue quickly found hers, effectively melting the woman beneath him. Their passion heightened when their tongues met and battled for dominance. Their hearts beat together in rapid synchronization. The agent's hand traced down Ella's spine, making her quiver with pleasure. His touch was that of a man with years of experience. He moaned into the kiss when she nestled herself perfectly against his hardening arousal. She cried out, nipples pebbling against the soft cotton of her shirt and rubbing against the man's chest. _

_They both pulled away, suckling in deep breaths. Clint released the woman's hands. Ella cupped his face, staring up at him tenderly. She unlaced her legs, but he remained just as close._

_"Do you promise? That you'll always protect me?" The woman asked. The agent noticed how young she looked at that moment. _

_"I promise." That was all he said before he pulled her back in his arms, flipping them so they stared up at the stars. _

_The silence between them was so long that Clint was dozing off when the woman spoke again._

_"Would you... would you come and find me? If I were lost?"_

_The statement seemed silly to the archer, though her serious inflection made him frown. _

_"Of course."_

_"Would... you promise to run, if I told you to?"_

_"Ella, what-" her words were coming out of nowhere, alarm bells ringing in his mind. He sat up, and looked into her wide, light grey eyes. _

_"Just..." she started, breathing deeply. "Just promise me."_

_Clint shook his head, pulling away. "You tell me why you're saying things like that. What's going on?"_

_Ella's gaze darted up to the sky, her eyes full of some hidden emotion. "I... I feel something. As if I'm not safe here anymore." _

_The man's heart began to beat faster. He ignored it and pulled her into a tight hug._

_"Nothing will happen to you. I promise."_

_Ella smiled weakly, but allowed the man to pull her closer._

Everything was coming together, pieces fitting like a puzzle.

She knew. Ella knew that her father was coming. She hadn't said anything, but had been subconsciously preparing Clint for the probability that she would taken away from him.

Clint jumped off the treadmill and ran out of the room. He darted down the hall, flying up the staircase. He ran to the first person who came to his mind. Someone who's been there from the beginning. Someone he could talk to; rely on.

Natasha.

The archer knocked frantically at her door, heart pounding wildly. He heard the soft padding of footsteps. The door creaked open slightly, revealing a disheveled Natasha in a silk negligee in a deep wine color. Her scarlet hair was wild with curls haloing all around her head. She wiped her eyes, trying to focus.

"Clint? What are you doing here?"

"Ella. She knew this was going to happen."

Natasha groaned, leaning back. "Come in." She opened the door wider. "What time is it? You do know I haven't slept for three days now?" She sat down on the rumpled sheets of her bed.

Clint waved the comment off. "She knew Nat. That her father was coming after her."

"Maybe there was nothing we could do to stop him."

The man growled and punched the wall. "She could have told us. Warned us!"

"I don't know, Clint. From what I know from Ella, she probably just wanted to keep you safe."

"But that's the thing! Nat, she made _me _promise to keep _her_ safe. She... She was scared, I could tell."

Natasha rubbed her eyes and looked up at her friend. "You promised me the same thing. Do you remember?" She took a step forward, gazing into his blue eyes. Clint smiled.

"Of course I remember."

"Then maybe... maybe this thing with Ella wasn't meant to last! You know, maybe she was always supposed to go back home. You forget, Clint, she's not human." The redhead stalked forward until her chest met the man's. He was shirtless from his run, and beads of sweat still trailed down his tanned flesh.

"W-what are you saying?" Clint demanded, moving backwards as the woman advanced towards him.

"Maybe you were supposed to be with someone else," Natasha whispered, coming even closer. The archer felt uncomfortable when his back hit the wall, sealing the trap.

Natasha stood up on the tips of her toes and placed a hot kiss on the man's lips. Her arms slid around his neck and pulled him to her. Caught by surprise, it took several moments for Clint's brain to catch up with what was happening. His lips... against Natasha's? It was so wrong, feeling like a brother and sister more than passionate lovers. He pushed the woman away from him roughly and ran to the side.

Clint noticed Natasha's eyes clear. She looked horrified.

"Oh my god. I don't know why I did that... Clint, I am so sorry. And saying those things-" She moved forward, reaching for her friend. He evaded her, his quick reactions kicking in.

"Don't. Touch. Me," he hissed, running from the room.

_What just happened?_

* * *

Half a galaxy away, a young woman and a fierce looking man stood in front of a large pool of water. The woman was beautiful with flaxen hair. She was clothed in a flowing white dress that caught the light breeze. The man wore scarlet and gold robes. He bent, touching the water's surface. The calm water was disturbed by the small touch, circular ripples breaking the serenity. Two figures appeared in the water. One was a beautiful woman with brilliant red hair, the other, a shirtless handsome man. The two were locked in a passionate embrace, mouths locked together.

The young blonde woman on the shore cried out, as if in pain. Her eyes widened, tears threatening to spill.

"Do you see Giselle? You cannot trust these humans you have come to love! They forget about their losses and jump into each other's beds!"

The man watched as his daughter's tears fell to the golden shore. "It is time for you to decide, my child. Do you wish to return to the backstabbing Midgardians? Or will you take up your birthright? You are the High Priestess. Become who you were born to be."

The woman sobbed heavily. When she quieted, the man placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What is your decision?

Giselle wiped her tears. "I will do what you ask, Father."

The grieving woman departed from the shore, leaving the man behind her.

With a flick of his wrist, he lifted the temporary spell from the crimson haired Midgardian. The King watched his daughter disappear off the shore. A cruel smile spread across his lips. The damage had been done.

For the first time in years, the King was filled with utter delight.

The end had finally begun.

* * *

**Muahahahahahahaha... *cough* *cough* Alright guys! We're in the home stretch now!**

**If you enjoy my writing, go check out my other stories! I started a James Bond Skyfall Q/OC fanfic that's awesome. **

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